UC-NRLF 


B    3    tiEH    fibt, 


Cbicago 


THE  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY 
OF  DETROIT 


A  DISSERTATION 

SUBMITTED  TO  THE  FACULTY 

OF  THE  OGDEN  GRADUATE  SCHOOL  OF  SCIENCE 

IN  CANDIDACY  FOR  THE  DEGREE  OF 

DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 

DEPARTMENT  OF  GEOGRAPHY 


BY 

ALMON  ERNEST  PARKINS 


Private  Edition,  Distributed  By 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  LIBRARIES 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


University  Series,  III 

THE  MICHIGAN  HISTORICAL  COMMISSION 

LANSING,  MICHIGAN 

•  1918 


Uift  llnittcraitg  of  (Hixta^a 


The  Historical  Geography 
Of  Detroit 


A  DISSERTATION 

SUBMITTED  TO  THE  FACULTt  OF  THE  OGDEN  GRADUATE  SCHOOL  OF 

SCIENCES  IN  CANDIDACY  FOR  THE  DEGREE  OF 

DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 


(Department  of  Geography) 


BY 

ALMON  ERNEST  PARKINS.  Ph.D. 


A  Private  Edition  Distributed  by 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  LIBRARIES 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


University  Series,  III 

THE   MICHIGAN   HISTORICAL  COMMISSION 

LANSING.  MICHIGAN 

1918 


PREFACE 

/^N  July  24,  1701,  a  fleet  of  some  two  dozen  canoes 
^^  carrying  Frenchmen  and  Indians,  entered  the  De- 
troit River  on  a  mission  that  was  to  introduce  civiHza- 
tion  into  the  Great  Lakes  region  nearly  one  hundred 
years  in  advance  of  British-American  progress  from 
the  Atlantic  seaboard.  One  hundred  persons — fifty 
uniformed  soldiers,  some  twenty  farmers,  artisans,  and 
traders,  the  remainder  a  few  women  and  children^ — 
had  come  to  plant  an  outpost  of  French  power  and 
influence  in  the  wilderness  about  the  Great  Lakes. 

Forty-nine  days  before,  they  had  left  the  head  of 
the  LaChine  Rapids  near  Montreal.  Fearing  to  give 
umbrage  to  the  ever  watchful  Iroquois  about  the 
shores  of  Lake  Ontario  and  Lake  Erie,  they  had 
chosen  the  "Northern  Route."  Up  the  Ottawa  they 
toiled,  against  the  swift  currents,  around  the  many 
rapids,  and  thence  by  lakes,  and  rivers,  with  many 
portages,  they  reached  Georgian  Bay  and  later  Lake 
Huron.  After  a  voyage  of  over  seven  hundred  miles 
they  entered  the  "Strait," — "Detroit,"  in  the  language 
of  the  French.  Down  this  they  swept,  passing  many 
islands,  and  on  across  Lake  St.  Clair  to  the  upper 
course  of  the  Detroit  River. 

They  selected  a  commanding  site  for  their  fort  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  river,  for  this  post  was  to  con- 
trol the  traffic  of  the  Upper  Lakes.     Grain  and  seed 

1.    Magazine  of  Western  History,  II,  55  (Griffin). 


4(L^Q4cl 


iv  PREFACE 

and  tools  were  brought,  for  these  settlers  were  to 
found  a  colony  which  should  be  a  permanent  nucleus 
of  French  power  and  influence  in  the  Lakes  region. 
The  colony  thus  established  was  the  beginning  of  the 
present  Detroit. 

There  are  few  other  cities  in  America  that  have 
taken  so  long  and  so  prominent  a  part  in  the  history 
and  development  of  the  sections  in  which  they  are 
situated.  Detroit  was  fifty-three  years  old  when  the 
British  began  their  fort  at  Pittsburg,  hundreds  of 
miles  in  advance  of  civilization.  It  was  ninety-five 
years  old  when  Moses  Cleveland  laid  out  the  city  that 
bears  his  name  on  Lake  Erie.  Detroit  celebrated  its 
centenary  in  the  year  that  the  Holland  Land  Company 
plotted  the  city  of  Buffalo  at  the  mouth  of  Buffalo 
Creek.  The  first  log  cabin  in  Indianapolis  was  not 
erected  until  118  years  after  the  French  began  the 
city  on  the  "Straits."  And  Detroit  had  been  making 
history  129  years  when  the  Illinois  Board  of  Land 
Commissioners  surveyed  the  site  of  Chicago,  the  great 
metropolis  of  the  interior.- 

Detroit  was  founded  as  an  outpost  of  French  power, 
and  a  center  for  French  commerce  in  the  Great  Lakes 
region.  Its  position  near  the  crossing  of  the  French 
and  British  lines  of  advance  into  the  interior  gave  it 
a  prominent  place  in  the  long  struggle  between  these 
two  nations  for  supremacy  in  America.  Victories  at 
Duquesne  and  Quebec  made  the  British  supreme,  and 
Detroit  came  under  their  control.  In  the  Indian  re- 
volt of  1763,  against  the  assumption  of  the  control  of 
the  Great  Lakes  by  the  British,  Detroit  was  considered 

2.    Magazine  of  Western  History,  II,  571  (Griffin). 


PREFACE  V 

the  seat  of  British  power  and  was  called  upon  to 
withstand  the  attacks  of  the  major  part  of  the  Indian 
forces.  During  the  Revolutionary  War,  it  was  an 
outfitting  point  from  which  British  and  Indian  expedi- 
tions were  dispatched  to  harass  the  American  settlers 
in  the  Ohio  Valley.  Several  attempts  were  made  by 
the  Americans  to  organize  expeditions  against  De- 
troit. Its  isolation  was  a  chief  factor  in  preventing 
any  definite  action.  According  to  the  terms  of  the 
Treaty  of  Peace  of  1783,  Detroit,  with  the  other 
trading  posts  of  the  Lakes,  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States,  but  the  importance  of  these  posts  to  the  fur- 
merchants  of  Montreal  was  undoubtedly  the  reason 
for  their  retention  by  the  British  for  thirteen  years. 
Their  final  delivery  to  the  United  States  in  1796  came 
only  after  a  second  treaty  had  been  made  and  Wayne's 
victory  seemed  to  have  stripped  the  British  of  their 
Indian  allies.  The  general  policy,  however,  which 
actuated  the  retention  of  the  posts  was  not  abandoned 
by  the  British  until  after  the  War  of  1812. 

In  the  War  of  1812,  Detroit  was  the  chief  center  of 
the  control  of  the  Indians  and  of  the  fur  trade  of  the 
Upper  Lakes.  It  was,  therefore,  the  center  of  the 
struggle  between  American  and  British  forces.  Sur- 
rendered to  the  British  in  1813,  it  was  reoccupied  by 
the  troops  of  the  United  States  the  following  year. 

Under  both  French  and  British  influence  Detroit  was 
merely  a  military  and  trading  post.  For  one  hundred 
years  its  growth  was  retarded.  The  real  develop- 
ment did  not  begin  until  the  early  part  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  when  the  American  frontier  began  to 
envelop   it,   and  it  became   an  integral  part   of  the 


vi  PREFACE 

United  States.  Since  then  few  cities  have  enjoyed 
so  rapid  a  growth.  In  1830  Detroit  was  the  fifty- 
third  city  in  size  in  the  United  States.  In  1910  it 
stood  ninth. 

Within  the  last  decade  or  two,  the  rapid  growth  in 
population,  manufactures,  building  construction,  com- 
merce, and  other  items  that  indicate  a  healthy  growth, 
show  that  it  has  not  yet  reached  its  final  rank  among 

the  cities  of  America. 
********** 

Such  in  brief  is  the  story  of  the  founding  of  Detroit 
and  a  sketch  of  the  more  important  events  in  its  sub- 
sequent history.  This  brief  sketch  and  the  more 
detailed  discussion  which  follow^s  indicate  the  domi- 
nance of  Detroit  in  the  historic  events  of  the  Lakes 
region  for  so  many  decades.  "Egypt  is  the  Nile,  and 
the  Nile  is  Egypt,"  is  a  saying  among  the  Egyptians, 
indicating  the  great  importance  of  the  Nile  in  the  life 
of  that  cradle  of  civilization.  With  a  similar  thought 
in  mind  one  might  say,  considering  the  early  history, 
"The  Lakes  region  was  Detroit,  and  Detroit  was  the 
Lakes  region."  For  more  than  a  century  Detroit  was 
almost  the  only  civilized  spot  in  the  vast  area  about 
the  Great  Lakes.  The  reader  shoiild  keep  this  in 
mind,  if,  in  the  reading  of  the  following  pages,  he  is 
tempted  to  consider,  at  first  thought,  some  of  the 
historic  and  geographic  material  to  be  extraneous  to 

the  discussion  of  Detroit. 
********** 

Historical  Geography,  as  the  term  has  come  to  be 
understood  by  American  geographers,  is  a  study  of 
the  history  of  a  region  as  affected  by  the  geographic 


PREFACE  vii 

environment.  Geography  is  concerned  with  the  influ- 
ences of  physical  environment  on  Hfe, — ^plant,  animal, 
and  hiiman.  Historical  Geography  is  concerned  with 
the  study  of  the  influence  of  environment  on  man, 
mainly  in  the  past. 

In  this  thesis,  The  Historical  Geography  of  Detroit, 
the  chief  endeavor  will  be  to  indicate  the  influence  of 
the  topography,  the  waterways,  the  soil,  the  climate, 
mineral  resources,  plant  life,  animal  life,  and  aboriginal 
human  life  upon  the  activities  of  the  Europeans  and 
their  descendants  who  came  to  occupy  the  Great  Lakes 
region,  and  more  especially  the  region  about  Detroit. 
The  point  of  view  is  economic,  for  in  the  economic 
development  of  a  region  the  influence  of  environment 
is  most  evident.  In  the  economic  development  of 
Detroit  two  environments  must  be  recognized:  a  forest 
environment,  the  sole  work  of  Natiu-e,  and  an  agrictd- 
tural,  commercial  and  industrial  environment,  in 
which  civilized  man  has  put  to  his  own  use  the  natural 
resources  and  forces.  The  former  was  characterized 
by  extensive  forests,  abundant  game,  furnishing 
■furs  and  food,  and  fish  in  plenty,  all  furnishing  man 
with  shelter,  food,  and  clothing  at  close  hand 
with  a  minimum  of  labor.  Such  an  environment 
tended  to  prolong  the  savage  stage  of  culture;  and  so 
strong  was  its  influence  that  civilized  man,  when  he 
marched  into  the  wilderness  and  severed  the  lines  of 
frequent  communication  with  the  more  civilized  sea- 
board settlements,  foimd  himself  overwhelmed  with 
its  influence  and  living  the  life  of  a  savage.  The 
second  environment  is  one  of  progress.  It  is  the 
result   of   a  transplanted  civilization  in  contact  with 


viii  PREFACE 

rich  natural  resources.  Civilized  man  makes  far  dif- 
ferent demands  upon  the  resources  of  his  environment 
than  did  the  Indian.  Moreover,  in  the  economic  devel- 
opment of  the  region,  as  man  passed  through  the 
various  stages  of  lumbering,  agriculture,  commerce 
and  manufacturing,  he  made  different  demands  at 
different  times.  The  greater  density  of  population 
and  higher  standards  of  living  demanded  a  more 
complete  use  of  nature's  resources.  In  civilized  econ- 
omy man  removed  the  forests  and  came  to  utilize 
the  sustaining  power  of  the  land  to  a  fuller  extent 
than  did  the  Indian.  He  unearthed  the  treasures  of 
the  mines,  increased  the  value  of  his  products  by 
adding  skill  in  their  production,  lengthened  and 
deepened  the  waterways  and  with  steel  and  steam 
shortened  time-distances  on  land,  thereby  greatly 
extending  his  sustaining  area,  and  widened  his  markets. 
The  Great  Lakes  environment  during  the  Indian, 
French,  and  English  regime  was  far  different  from 
that  under  the  Americans. 

The  plan  of  presentation  of  the  material  in  the 
thesis  follows  that  of  the  historian,  and  not  that  of  the 
geographer.  This  seemed  to  the  writer  the  only 
feasible  arrangement.  In  writing  the  historical  geog- 
raphy of  a  large  area  with  diverse  topography, 
climate,  soil,  and  other  resources,  and  of  an  area  whose 
main  lines  of  historic  development  are  well  known, 
the  weaving  of  the  material  about  the  geographic  ele- 
ments of  the  environment  would  be  feasible.  But  in 
tracing  the  influence  of  geograph}^  on  the  economic 
development  and  growth  of  an  urban  group,  whose 
history  is  little  known,  the  necessity  for  continuity 


PREFACE  ix: 

of  thought  and  richness  and  fullness  of  treatment 
seemed  to  the  writer  to  demand  a  chronological  ar- 
rangement of  material. 

The  writer's  interest  in  the  subject  grew  out  of  the  >j» 

patriotic  feeling  he  naturally  bore  to  his  native  State 
and  its  metropolis,  and  especially  out  of  a  desire  to 
ascertain,  if  possible,  the  factors,  geographic  or  non- 
geographic,  immediate  or  distant,  in  the  recent  phe- 
nominal  rise  of  Detroit  as  a  manufacturing  center. 
This  led  him  into  the  romance  of  the  city's  history^ 
of  the  part  taken  in  its  growth  and  economic  develop- 
ment by  the  Indian,  the  Catholic  missionary,  the 
early  French  officials,  the  coureur  de  hois,  and  the 
pioneer  farmers,  sailors,  railroad  builders,  and  busi- 
ness men.  To  all  these  factors  in  the  long  develop- 
ment and  slow  growth,  his  studies  in  the  field  of 
modern  geography  have  given  an  interest  and  mean- 
ing not  experienced  by  a  collector  and  recorder  of 
mere  facts. 

Most  of  the  historic  material  has  been  secured  from 
original  documents,  manuscripts,  papers,  journals  and 
reports,  a  complete  list  of  which  is  found  in  the  bibli- 
ography appended.  The  libraries  of  the  University  of 
Chicago,  the  John  Crerar  and  Newberry  libraries  of 
Chicago,  the  Chicago  Public  Library  and  that  of  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society,  the  Detroit  Public  Library 
and  a  few  private  collections  have  all  been  carefully 
searched. 

Special  acknowledgments  are  due  Prof.  H.  H.  Bar- 
rows of  the  Department  of  Geography  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago  for  his  interest,  his  painstaking 
reading,  and  helpful  suggestions  in  the  preparation  of 


X  PREFACE 

the  manuscript.  The  writer  wishes  also  to  thank 
Professors  SaHsbury,  Goode,  and  Tower,  and  his  fellow 
students  in  the  Geographic  Seminar  of  1913  and  1914, 
at  the  University  of  Chicago,  before  whom  a  few  of  the 
chapters  were  read,  for  their  interest  and  criticism. 


CONTENTS 
CHAPTER  I 
The  Geographic  Setting  of  Detroit 1 

The  Great  Central  Plain  of  North  America 

Extent 

Resources 

Contact  with  ocean 
The  Great  Lakes  region 

Position 

Resources 

Transportation  facilities 
The  bed  rock  of  the  Great  Lakes  region  and  its  influences  on 

geography  and  history 
Glaciation  in  the  Great  Lakes  region  and  its  influence 
The  waterways  and  their  importance 
Forests  and  furs  of  the  Great  Lakes  region 
The  Indians  of  the  Great  Lakes  region 
The  Indians  at  Detroit 


CHAPTER  II 

Events  Leading  to  the  Founding  of  Detroit  ....  20 

Introduction 

The  search  for  the  passage  to  the  Western  Sea 

The  French  in  the  lower  St.  Lawrence 

The  Dutch  up  the  Hudson  River 

The  British  in  Hudson  Bay  and  Hudson  River 

The  Founding  of  Quebec,  1608 

The  Founding  of  Fort  Orange  (Albany)  and  New  Netherlands 

(New  York),  1623 
The  British  displace  the  Dutch  along  the  Hudson 
Exploration  of  the  interior 
The  fiur-trade  and  exploration 
Influence  of  the  cheap  goods  of  the  English 


ni  CONTENTS 

The  commercial  positions  of  Montreal  and  Albany  compared 

The  founding  of  Fort  Frontenac,  1672 

English  expedition  to  Upper  Lakes,  1685 

Fort  St.  Joseph  built 

Need  of  an  English  post  at  Niagara 

The  French  build  a  post  at  Niagara,  July,  1687 

Post  at  Niagara  abandoned,  1688 

The  founding  of  Detroit,  1701 


CHAPTER  III 

Detroit  Under  Cadillac 46 

Description  of  the  Detroit  region 

Cadillac  conceived  a  post  at  Detroit 

Opposition  to  founding  of  Detroit 

Cadillac  authorized  to  build  a  post 

The  arrival  of  Cadillac's  party,  July  24,  1701 

The  construction  of  buildings  and  attempts  at  agriculture 

Emigration  to  Detroit,  1706 

Factors  opposing  growth 

The  post  investigated 

The  post  approved 

Detroit  in  1710 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  Detroit  Settlement  After  Cadillac 64 

The  attack  of  the  Fox  Indians,  1712 

Effects  of  the  smallness  of  the  garrison 

Reasons  for  the  small  garrison 

The  importance  of  Detroit  to  the  French 

A  proposal  to  prohibit  settlers  coming  to  the  post,  1714 

The  settlers  deprived  of  right  to  trade,  1717 

Beginning  of  an  era  of  prosperity,  1728 

An  emigration  policy  adopted,  1734 

The  need  of  a  large  garrison 

The  trade  and  agriculture  at  Detroit  about  1740 

The  Huron  Mission  and  its  business  transactions 

Indians  threaten  Detroit,  1744-45 


CONTENTS 

Government  aid  to  settlers,  1748 
Rapid  growth  of  Detroit  settlement,  1749-55 
The  English  take  possession,  1760 
Detroit  in  1760 

Population 

Isolation  of  Detroit 

The  Fort 

Means  of  commimication 

The  homes 

Character  of  the  French 


CHAPTER  V 

Detroit  Under  The  British 85 

The  arrival  of  Rogers 
Indians  oppose  British 
Reasons  for  opposition 
The  coming  of  British  traders 
Character  of  British  traders 
Pontiac's  conspiracy- 
Water  commimication  saves  Detroit 
Settlers  prohibited  from  purchasing  land 
Effects  of  this  prohibition 
British  reahze  the  importance  of  Detroit 
Many  French  leave  Detroit 
Detroit  a  part  of  Quebec 
Ignorance  of  needs  of  Detroit 
Need  of  more  settlers  at  Detroit 
English  Government  considers  sending  settlers 
Detroit  during  the  Revolutionary  War 

Expeditions  sent  to  harass  American  frontier 

Isolation  of  Detroit  prevented  attack  by  Americans 
Detroit  in  1778 

Census  reports  of  Detroit  in  1779,  1780,  and  1782 
More  settlers  for  Detroit  requested 
Retention  of  the  Lake  ports 

British  merchants  oppose  treaty 

Reasons  given  for  retention 

Real  reason  commercial 

Testimony  of  Robertson 

Opinion  of  Long 
American  side  of  Lakes  has  better  harbors 


xiv  CONTENTS 

Indian  depredations  on  frontier 
Royalists  encouraged  to  migrate  to  Detroit 
Montreal  merchants  extend  trading  territory 
Fur-trade  of  Lakes  region  during  British  control 

Northwest  Company 

The  Hudson  Bay  Company  changes  methods 

Political  power  of  Northwest  Company 
Memorial  of  ]\Iontreal  merchants 
Boundary  proposals  of  fur  merchants 
The  Lakes  region  a  great  expense  to  British 

A  final  attempt  to  retain  control  of  trade  in  American  territory 
The  encroachment  of  American  settlers  in  Lakes  region 
Detroit  in  1788 
Methods  of  agriculture 
Composition  of  population 
Reasons  for  slow  grow1;h 
Detroit  in  1797 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Americans  Assume  Control 218 

Many  British  leave  Detroit 

Canadian  Government  offers  inducements 

CompHcations  in  land  titles 

Land  question  settled 

Beginning  of  emigration  of  Americans  to  Detroit 

Distribution  of  Population  in  Michigan,  1810 

Detroit  depends  on  Ohio  for  food 

The  isolation  of  Detroit  and  consequences 

Isolation  of  Fort  Maiden 

Victory  of  Perry  gave  Americans  control  of  Lake  Erie 

Northwest  Company  asks  favors 

British  delay  surrender  of  posts 

The  American  Fur  Company 

Reasons  for  slow  growth  of  Detroit 

Detroit  in  1818 

Interior  of  Michigan  explored 

Government  proposed  the  removal  of  fort  at  Detroit 

Reasons  for  retention 


CONTENTS  XV 

CHAPTER  VII 

Local  Geography  of  Detroit  Region 151 

Introduction 

Detroit  located  on  a  till  plain 

The  topography  of  Southern  Michigan 

Topographic  features  result  of  glaciation 

Character  of  till 

The  beach  ridges 

The  Detroit  moraine 

Boulder  belts 

Drainage  of  plain 

Water  power  in  Detroit  region 

The  lower  courses  of  rivers  drowned 

Soils  of  the  Detroit  region 

Mineral  resources 

Clay 

Limestone 

Salt 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A  Century  of  Growth  at  Detroit 170 

Population  statistics  for  one  hundred  years 

Deterrent  factors  in  growth  in  early  decades  of  nineteenth  century 

Factors  in  westward  movement  of  popiilation 

Michigan  lands  made  known  in  East 

Indian  titles  extinguished 

Change  in  land  laws,  1820 

States  to  south  "filling" 

Improvements  in  transportation 

Economic  changes  in  New  England 

Wandering  habits  of  pioneers 

Emigration  to  Detroit  and  Michigan,  1820-30 
Detroit  in  1827 
Detroit  in  1837 
The  boom  period,  1837-39 
Effect  on  growth  of  Detroit  and  Michigan 
Nativity  of  people  at  Detroit,  1850 
Rivals  of  Detroit — Monroe  and  Toledo 


XVI  CONTENTS 

Growth  of  Detroit  since  1850 

Comparisons  of  nativity  of  population,  1850,  1880,  1910 

Detroit  in  1910 

Size 

Shape,  geographic  factors  influencing 

Plan  of  city 

Structure  of  city,  factors  affecting 

A  city  of  home  owners 

Location  of  factories 

Transportation  facilities 

Water  supply 

Recreation 


CHAPTER  IX 
Detroit  and  the  Development  of  Navigation 

I.     The  Development  of  the  Carrying  Agent  and  Facilities  for 

Transportation 203 

Introduction 
The  canoe  era 

The  birch  bark  canoe 

The  pirogue 

The  batteau 

The  Durham  boat 
The  French  voyageurs 
The  sailboat  era 

The  Griffin 

The  Cadillac  sloop 

French  vessels  on  Lake  Erie  and  Upper  Lakes,  1726 

British  vessels  after  1763 

British  government  monopoly  of  lake  traffic 

Inadequacy  of  facilities  causes  distress  at  Detroit 

American-built  vessels  after  1796 

The  decline  of  the  sailing  vessel 
The  steamboat  era 

The  Walk-in-the- Water 

Detroit,  the  western  terminus  of  steamer  lines 

The  growth  of  steam  shipping  on  the  Lakes 

Types  of  vessels  developed 

The  "bvdk-cargo"  carriers 

Growth  of  Detroit  shipping 

Rank  of  Detroit  among  the  lake  ports 


CONTENTS  xvii 

CHAPTER  X 

Detroit  and  Development  of  Water  Transportation 

II.     Waterways  and  Water  Routes 231 

Barriers  to  navigation  in  St.  Lawrence  system 
Government  aid  to  navigation 
Detroit  and  the  St.  Lawrence  Route 

Dangers  and  difficulties  to  navigation  in  the  lower  St.  Law- 
rence 

Improvements  in  the  St.  Lawrence 

The  Niagara  Falls  a  great  barrier 

The  building  of  the  Welland  Canal 

Specifications  of  St.  Lawrence  canals 

Importance  of  the  St.  Lawrence  Route  to  Detroit 

The  decline  of  the  St.  Lawrence  as  a  traffic  route  for  Detroit 
Detroit  and  the  Mohawk  Route 

Land  routes  across  New  York 

The  Erie  Canal 

Business  transactions  with  East  before  the  railroads 
Detroit  and  improvement  of  navigation  on  Lake  Erie  and  the 
Upper  Lakes 

The  need  of  improvements 

The  twenty-foot  channel  plan 

Improvements  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie 

Spread  of  population  in  Lakes  region 

Improvements  in  navigation  bring  about  a  new  routing  of 
traffic 

Need  of  a  deep-water  route  to  the  ocean 


CHAPTER  XI 

Development  of  Land  Transportation 253 

Few  roads  in  early  period 
The  road  to  the  Ohio  frontier 
Roads  to  interior  of  State 

Chicago  Road 

Saginaw  Road 

Grand  River  Road 


xviii  CONTENTS 

Gratiot  Road 
Character  of  earlv  roads 
Stage  lines  in  1830,  1835,  1837 
Value  of  these  roads 
Railroads 

Internal  improvement  projects  of  1837 

The  Central  Railroad 

The  Great  Western  Railroad 

The  Detroit  and  Pontiac  Railroad  extended 

Railroads  from  Detroit  in  1857,  1885,  1910 

Benefits  of  railroads  to  Detroit 

Overcoming   the   break   in   railroad   transportation   at   the 

Detroit  River 
Interurban  lines  centering  at  Detroit 


CHAPTER  XII 

The  Development  of  Manufactures  at  Detroit.. 2 79 

Introduction 

Shipbuilding  at  Detroit  imder  British  regime 

Manufactures  at  Detroit,  1810 

Manufactures  of  Wayne  County,  1820 

Reasons  for  retarded  development  before  1820 

Changes  that  favored  development  after  1820 

Manufactures  of  Wayne  County,  1840 

Manufactures  of  Wayne  County,  1860 

Manufactures  of  Wayne  County,  1880 

Manufactures  of  Detroit,  1880;  comparison  with  those  of  Wayne 

County 
Manufacttirers  of  Detroit,  1909 
Growth  of  one  hundred  years  in  manufactures 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Factors  in  the  Growth  of  Population  and  Development  of 
Manufactures — ^A  Review 312 

Position  of  Detroit 

Reasons  for  location  of  Detroit  by  the  French  . 

The  strategic  position  of  Detroit 


CONTENTS 

Fort  gave  protection  to  settlers 

A  center  of  roads  and  railroads 

A  terminus  of  vessel  lines  on  Lake  Erie 

Became  a  way-port 

Early  manufactures  at  Detroit 

Factors  in  development  of  manufactures 

Local  raw  products 

Power 

Skilled  labor 

Capital  and  enterprise 


THE   HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY 
OF  DETROIT 


CHAPTER  I 

The  Geographic  Setting  of  Detroit 

T^ETROIT  is  situated  in  the  heart  of  the  Great 
■^  Lakes  region,  near  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Great 
Central  Plain  of  North  America.  Its  development, 
therefore,  is  associated  closely  with  the  geographic 
conditions  and  development  of  the  Great  Central  Plain 
and  more  especially  with  the  immediate  portions  of 
that  plain  about  the  Great  Lakes. 

The  plains  of  the  world  always  have  been  important 
in  the  economy  of  nations.  In  the  early  periods,  the 
river  plains  of  the  Nile,  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates,  and 
the  Ganges  supported  the  developing  civilizations.  In 
the  modern  period  the  humid  temperate  plains  have 
come  to  be  recognized  as  the  great  producing  areas  for 
the  world's  population.  The  geographic  conditions  of 
these  plains  favor  the  developm.ent  of  a  high  stage  of 
civilization;  and  where  social,  rehgious,  or  political 
factors  do  not  control,  such  plains  are  the  homes  of 
the  most  progressive  and  the  most  influential  of  the 


2  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

nations.  Among  the  many  geographic  factors  that 
seem  to  make  these  plains  the  most  suitable  for  the 
homes  of  men,  the  more  important  are — 

(1)  Abundance  of  well-watered  fertile  land,  and  a 
stimulating  climate, 

(2)  Rich  deposits  of  useful  minerals, 

(3)  Low  relief,  ensuring  easy  communication  be- 
tween all  parts, 

(4)  Accessibility  to  the  ocean. 

All  these  requirements  are  met  in  a  large  degree  in 
the  Great  Central  Plain  of  North  America. 

The  Great  Central  Plain  extends  2500  miles  north- 
ward from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  1,500  miles  east- 
ward from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  highlands  of 
New  York.  A  large  portion  of  the  northern  third  of 
this  great  area  is  covered  by  snow  and  ice  many 
months  in  the  year  and  a  broad  strip  along  the  western 
border  is  too  dry  for  diversified  cultivation,  yet  there 
remain  fully  1,250,000  square  miles  of  land  capable 
of  the  highest  agricultural  development.  Man  in 
North  America  is  only  in  the  early  stages  of  his  ad- 
justment to  the  soil.  For  many  decades  certain  sec- 
tions of  the  Central  Plain  have  contributed  largely  to 
the  world's  cereal  crop ;  the  ultimate  agricultural  possi- 
bilities of  the  region,  however,  are  far  from  being 
attained. 

The  resources  of  the  Central  Plain  lie  not  alone  in 
its  agricultural  possibilities,  for  there  are  rich  deposits 
of  iron,  salt,  coal,  copper,  gypsum,  and  various  sorts 
of  building  materials.  The  great  stretches  of  valuable 
forests  which  once  covered  much  of  the  region  have 
played  an  important  part  in  the  development  of  the 


GEOGRAPHIC  SETTING  3 

region  about  the  Great  Lakes;  and  furs,  the  pioneer 
product  of  the  forests  for  which  the  eastern  section 
of  the  Central  Plain  was  coveted  by  both  the  French 
and  the  British,  have  long  since  been  depleted. 

The  Central  Plain  is  in  general  of  low  relief.  Minor 
elevations  here  and  there  break  its  monotony,  but 
these  offer  little  obstruction  to  intercourse  between  the 
various  parts.  Although  the  Great  Central  Plain  does 
not  border  an  ocean,  its  low  relief,  its  many  navigable 
rivers,  bays,  and  gulfs,  and  the  low  passes  through  the 
highlands  to  the  east,  all  permit  freedom  of  inter- 
course with  the  Atlantic,  the  most  im.portant  ocean 
in  world  comm.erce.  To  the  north  there  is  easy  access 
to  Hudson  Bay.  Though  ice-bound  for  seven  or  eight 
months  each  year,  this  exit  to  the  Atlantic  was  an 
important  one  for  the  fur  trade  of  the  regions  to  the 
north  and  northwest  of  the  Great  Lakes  for  over  two 
hundred  years,  and  in  the  future  it  may  prove  of 
great  value  to  the  developing  regions  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  arable  portions  of  the  interior  plain.  On 
the  south  for  1500  miles  the  Great  Central  Plain 
borders  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Along  this  coast  there 
are  ports  with  easy  communication  to  the  interior 
that  m.ay  serve  as  logical  doorways  to  the  trade  of 
Central  and  South  America.  Along  the  eastern  border 
are  the  highlands  of  Canada  and  the  Appalachian 
Mountains.  These  are  the  only  barriers  between  the 
plain  and  the  Atlantic.  Around  the  northern  end 
of  the  Appalachian  ridges,  along  the  southern  border 
of  the  "old  land  of  Canada,"  extends  the  St.  Lawrence 
Valley,  the  lowlands  of  which,  as  far  west  as  the  escarp- 
ment at  Niagara,  are  less  than  five  hundred  feet  above 


4  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

tide.  To  the  south  of  this  great  valley,  across  the 
State  of  New  York  from  the  plains  about  Lake  Ontario 
to  the  Hudson  River,  is  the  Oneida-Mohawk  depres- 
sion, also  with  low  altitudes.  These  two  valleys  con- 
stitute the  notches  in  the  barrier  to  the  east.  These 
have  ever  been  among  the  chief,  if  not  the  chief,  lines 
of  commimication  and  traffic,  the  "gateways"  between 
the  Great  Central  Plain  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

The  Great  Lakes  region  includes  that  irregular  and 
somewhat  indefinite  area,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
Great  Central  Plain,  that  borders  and  includes  the 
five  Great  Lakes  of  North  America.  It  is  not  separ- 
ated from  the  other  parts  of  the  Great  Central  Plain 
by  any  marked  topographic  feature.  It  is  not  in 
any  way  an  isolated  geographic  unit;  yet  it  is  a  unit. 
Its  abundant  resources  make  it  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant areas  of  the  interior  plain.  Its  chief  impor- 
tance perhaps  lies  in  its  position  at  the  west  entrances 
of  the  "gateways"  to  the  Atlantic.  Since  the  great 
markets  for  agricultural  products  are  in  eastern 
United  States  and  Europe,  this  position  makes  a  large 
part  of  the  Great  Central  Plain  naturally  tributary  to 
the  Lakes  region^  During  the  long  period  that  the 
merchants  of  Montreal  and  Quebec  controlled  the 
economic  activities  of  the  great  interior  of  North 
America,  the  area  tributary  to  the  Great  Lakes  in- 
cluded most  of  the  territory  to  the  north  of  the  Ohio 
and  the  Missouri  rivers,  and  west  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. Today  the  Great  Lakes  region  has  for  its 
sphere  of  commercial  influence  more  than  two-thirds 
of  the  Great  Central  Plain. 


1.     Hunt's  Merchants    Mag.,  LVIII,  109. 


GEOGRAPHIC  SETTING  5 

Great  as  are  the  resources  of  the  mines,  the  forests, 
and  the  fields,  the  Great  Lakes  region  owes  much  of 
its  importance  to  the  Great  Lakes  themselves.  There 
are  few  other  regions  of  like  area  that  can  furnish 
stich  opportunities  for  inland  transportation.  From 
the  lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  eastern  ter- 
minus of  Lake  Erie  there  are  nearly  a  thousand  miles 
of  unobstructed  deep  waterways.  With  the  over- 
coming of  the  barrier  at  the  rapids  of  the  St.  Mary's 
River  and  the  falls  at  Niagara,  six  hundred  miles 
more  have  been  added.  But  transportation  advan- 
tages on  lakes  are  not  to  be  reckoned  by  the  lengths 
of  the  lakes.  Innumerable  cross  routes  multiply  the 
above  mileage  many  times.  Besides  the  many  hun- 
dred miles  of  deep  waterway,  there  are  many  minor 
waterways  suitable  for  smaller  craft.  These  minor 
water  courses  were  very  important  in  the  days  when 
canoes  were  the  chief  carrying  agent. 

In  the  northeastern  part  of  North  America,  there  is 
a  great  area  of  crystalline  rocks,  granites,  gneisses,  and 
schists.  This  is  the  so-called  North  American  "shield," 
the  "old  land"  of  Canada.  The  southern  portion  of 
this  area  is  called  the  Laurentian  Highlands.  Lake 
Superior  lies  partly  within  and  partly  on  the  border 
of  the  Highlands.  The  southern  border  of  the  "old 
land"  skirts  the  northern  shores  of  Lake  Hiu-on  and 
Georgian  Bay.  From  the  southern  part  of  Georgian 
Bay  eastward  the  southern  limit  extends  in  an  irregu- 
lar line  near  the  cities  of  Kingston,  Ottawa,  and 
Quebec;  from  Quebec  eastward  it  makes  the  northern 
bluffs  along  the  St.  Lawrence  River. 

To  the  south  of  this  crystalline  area,  poor  in  agricul- 


6  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

tural  possibilities  because  of  its  long  winters  and  thin 
soils  but  rich  in  mineral  deposits  and  waterpower,  are 
younger  sedimentary  rocks.  The  younger  rocks  are 
chiefly  sandstones,  limestones,  and  shales.  These 
sedimentary  rocks  in  general  are  eroded  much  more 
easily  than  the  crystaUines,  so  that  the  region  in 
which  these  formations  dominate  is  nearly  every- 
where marked  either  by  lake  basins  or  lowlands. 
For  example,  a  portion  of  the  estuary  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence, the  lower  St.  Lawrence  Valley,  the  Mohawk 
depression.  Lake  Ontario,  the  Ontario  lowlands,  Geor- 
gian Bay,  North  Channel,  and  Green  Bay  (as  well  as 
Lake  Winnipeg)  have  all  been  carved  in  Ordovician 
limestones  and  shales.  Lake  Erie,  Lake  Huron,  and 
Lake  Michigan  owe  their  shape,  position,  and  connec- 
tions in  large  extent  to  the  erosian  of  Silurian  and 
Devonian  limestones,  shales,  and  dolomite. 

Many  other  topographic  and  geographic  features^^ 
about  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence  seem  to 
be  related  closely  to  the  resistance  some  of  the  strata 
offer  to  erosion.  The  many  islands  in  the  lakes  and 
rivers  of  the  St.  Lawrence  system  as  well  as  the  niuner- 
ous  falls  and  rapids  are  largely  due  to  the  more  resis- 
tant formations.  The  Ottawa  River  with  its  numer- 
ous rapids  and  falls  that  made  the  canoe  voyages  along 
its  course  so  tedious,  difficult,  and  costly,  runs  for  the 
larger  part  of  its  course  over  cr>''stalline  rocks.  The 
waters  at  most  of  the  rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence  from 
Lake  Ontario  to  Montreal  flow  over  gneisses  and 
schists  and  Cambrian  sandstones.  The  La  Chine,  just 
above  Montreal,  the  rapids  that  ban'cd  (before  the 
building    of    canals)    any    further    passage    of    ocean 


GEOGRAPHIC  SETTING  7 

vessels  to  the  interior,  are  in  Cambrian  sandstones; 
so,  too,  are  the  rapids  of  St.  Mary's  River.  The  falls 
at  Niagara,  which  so  effectively  separate  Lake  Ontario 
from  the  other  Great  Lakes,  and  the  Niagara  Escarp- 
ment, over  which  most  of  the  traffic  of  the  Upper 
Lakes  had  to  pass  until  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  are  due  to  a  thick  layer  of  limestone  (Niagara) 
overlying  softer  shales.  The  same  Niagara  lime- 
stone encircles  the  north  shore  of  lakes  Huron  and 
Michigan.  It  forms  the  backbone  of  the  Saugeen 
(or  Bruce)  Peninsula,  that  separates  Lake  Huron  from 
Georgian  Bay.  It  no  doubt  is  largely  responsible  for 
the  line  of  islands  along  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Huron, 
and  to  the  west  it  forms  the  enclosing  arms  of  Green 
Bay.^  These  topographic  and  geographic  features 
have  had  their  historic  consequences.  The  Saugeen 
Peninsula  lengthened  the  canoe  voyage  from  the  mouth 
of  the  French  River  to  Detroit  by  nearly  one  hundred 
miles.  The  numerous  islands  in  northern  Lake  Huron 
made  canoe  voyages  fairly  safe  across  the  deep  waters 
of  Lake  Hiuron  between  the  French  River  and  the 
mouth  of  St.  Mary's  River.  The  many  islands  in  the 
western  part  of  Lake  Erie  are  composed  almost  en- 
tirely of  Niagara  limestone.  These  islands  made  possi- 
ble a  trans-lake  canoe  route  and  shortened  the  distance 
for  canoe  voyages  between  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit 
River  and  Sandusky  Bay.  This  trans -lake  route  was 
much  used  by  the  British  and  Indians  in  their  raids 
against  the  whites  on  the  Ohio.     Some  of  these  islands 

2.  Guide  Book  No.  5;  Can.  Geo!.  Survey,  1913,  75;  Atlas, 
Vol  II,  Wis.  Geol.  Survey,  1877,  Plate  IV;  Prof.  Pope, 
71,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey,  Plate  I. 


8  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 

offered  harbors  of  refuge  to  the  vessels  of  the  lakes  in 
the  early  days  of  lake  navigation  when  the  vessels 
were  small. 

Though  the  bed  rock  offers  the  conditions  for  dif- 
ferential erosion,  it  was  mainly  the  waters  and  the 
ice  of  the  Glacial  Period  that  gave  much  of  the  land 
in  northeastern  North  America  its  present  topo- 
graphical expression.  In  some  sections  erosion  took 
place,  in  others  deposition. 

The  story  of  the  work  of  the  ice  and  water  in  the 
Glacial  Period  is  a  story  so  well  known  that  it  needs 
no  lengthy  discussion  here.  The  "old  land"  was 
swept  bare  of  its  residual  soil,  the  accumulation  of 
ages.  At  places  in  the  "old  land,"  where  conditions 
were  suitable,  lake  basins  were  gouged  out.  These 
lakes  are  numbered  by  the  thousands  in  the  Laurcn- 
tian  Highlands.  Many  are  connected  by  rivers,  mak- 
ing many  nearly  continuous  water  routes,  suitable  for 
canoes  from  the  St.  Lawrence  Basin  to  Hudson  Ba}^ 

In  the  region  of  the  younger,  sedimentary  rocks,  the 
work  of  the  glacial  ice  was  much  more  pronounced. 
The  basins  of  most  of  the  Great  Lakes  are  partially, 
if  not  largely,  the  result  of  the  erosive  action  of  the 
ice  upon  the  limestones  and  shales.  The  material 
eroded  from  the  sedimentary  rocks,  combined  with 
that  from  the  "old  land,"  was  strewn  here  and  there 
in  a  more  or  less  systematic  fashion,  forming  moraines, 
outwash  plains,  till  plains,  valley  trains,  and  other 
features  over  the  region  to  the  south  of  the  "old 
land,"  as  far  south,  in  general,  as  the  Ohio  and  Missouri 
rivers. 

The  most  important  of  the  moraines,  the  ones  that 


GEOGRAPHIC  SETTING  9 

have  had  the  greatest  geographic  and  historic  signi- 
ficance, are  the  ones  that  make  up  the  divide  between 
the  St.  Lawrence  and  Mississippi  river-systems.  As 
the  ice  during  the  retreat  of  the  ice  sheet  withdrew  to 
the  north  of  this  divide,  the  water  resulting  from  the 
melting  of  the  ice  was  ponded  between  the  divide  and 
the  ice  front,  and  temporary  lakes  were  produced. 
The  existence  of  such  lakes  explains  the  presence  of 
most  of  the  many  sandy  and  gravelly  lake  ridges  and 
lacustrine  plains  about  the  present  lakes.  At  low 
places  in  the  divide,  outlets  were  found  by  the  water 
and  broad  channels  were  carved.  In  these  channels 
the  headwaters  of  the  tributaries  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  Mississippi  river-systems  lie  so  near  to  each 
other  that  only  a  short  portage  is  necessary  for  canoes 
and  sm.all  boats  in  going  from  one  system  to  the  other. 
In  flood  periods  it  is  possible  to  pass  from  one  system 
to  the  other  without  portaging.  The  most  important 
of  these  portages  are  the  Fox- Wisconsin  Portage,  from 
the  Fox  River  to  the  Wisconsin;  the  Chicago  Portage, 
from  the  Chicago  to  the  Des  Plaines;  the  Fort  Wayne 
Portage,  between  the  headwaters  of  the  Maumee  and 
the  Wabash;  and  the  Oneida-Mohawk  Portage,  from 
Lake  Oneida  to  the  Mohawk  River.  Between  Geor- 
gian Bay  and  the  lower  St.  Lawrence  and  between 
Georgian  Bay  and  Lake  Ontario  there  are  similar 
channels,  due  m.ostly  to  glacial  action  or  erosion  of 
the  waters  of  the  Glacial  Period.  The  fomier  is  the 
Ottawa  Channel  occupied  by  the  French  River,  Lake 
Nippising,  and  Ottawa  River,  the  latter  is  the  Trent 
River  or  Toronto  Channel  occupied  in  part  by  Trent 
River. 


10  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

One  cannot  overestimate  the  importance  of  these 
lakes,  rivers,  and  channels  in  the  history  of  the  na- 
tions, savage  and  civilized,  that  have  operated  in  and 
about  these  two  great  river  systems.  These  channels 
were  used  by  the  Indians  in  their  migrations,  inter- 
tribal trade  and  wars,  long  before  the  white  man 
reached  the  Great  Lakes.  They  influenced  the  courses 
of  the  early  French  explorers  in  their  search  for  the 
Western  Sea.  For  over  two  hundred  years  they  were 
traversed  by  French,  English,  and  American  traders. 
Forts  were  built  in  them.  The  early  settlers  on  their 
way  to  settle  in  the  Middle  West  followed  them. 
They  later  built  their  wagon  roads  in  them.  Canals 
were  dug  along  them.  Today  the  railroads  find  along 
these  water  courses  their  easiest  grades. 

During  the  French  occupation  of  the  Great  Lakes 
region,  the  English  fully  recognized  the  advantage  the 
French  had  in  controlling  these  outlet  channels. 
Golden  in  his  Memoir  on  the  Fur-Trade  in  1724,  said, 
"This  (after  speaking  of  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  St. 
Lawrence  River),  however,  but  half  furnishes  the  view 
the  French  have  as  to  their  commercial  command  in 
North  America.  Many  of  the  Branches  of  the  River 
Mississippi  come  so  near  to  the  Branches  of  the  rivers 
that  flow  into  the  Great  Lakes  that,  in  several  places, 
there  is  but  a  short  land  carriage  from  one  to  the 
other.  As  soon  as  they  get  into  the  branches  of  the 
Mississippi,  they  open  to  themselves  a  large  field  for 

traffic  in  the  southern  part  of  North  America 

If  one  considers  the  length  of  this  river  and  its  numer- 
ous branches  he  must  say  that  by  means  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  River  and  the  lakes  there  is  opened  to  his 


GEOGRAPHIC  SETTING  11 


view  such  a  scene  of  inland  navigation  as  cannot  be 
paralleled  in  any  other  part  of  the  world." ^ 

Detroit,  situated  within  the  basin  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence, on  one  of  the  connecting  waterways  between 
two  of  the  'Great  Lakes  and  not  far  from  the  eastern 
entrance  to  the  Maumee-Wabash  outlet  channel,  has 
been  influenced  profoundly  during  its  development  by 
these  waterways.  Its  very  existence  during  the  first 
himdred  years  of  its  history  was  directly  dependent 
upon  these  lakes,  rivers,  and  portages. 

The  French  and  EngHsh  explorers  found  the  basin 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  a  part  of  the  basin  of  the 
Mississippi,  covered  with  a  rich  forest.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few.  clearings  about  the  various  settle- 
ments in  the  basin  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  these  forests 
remained  almost  untouched  until  the  coming  of  the 
American  farmers.  Though  dense  in  places,  these 
forests  were  in  general  open  enough  to  allow  free 
passage  of  man  or  beast.  Paths  through  them,  how- 
ever, were  few.  In  traveling  from  one  part  of  the 
region  to  another  the  waterways  generally  were  fol- 
lowed. Dawson  says,  "In  the  simimer  the  voyageur's 
canoe  and  in  winter  the  habitant's  sleigh  made  the 
mesh  of  waterways  available  long  before  the  settlers 
had  time  to  build  roads  and  bridges."^ 

These  forests  had  little  direct  influence  on  the  de- 
velopment and  history  of  the  region  up  to  the  early 
part  of  the  last  century.  They  furnished  timber  for 
building  purposes,   but   there   were   few   people   and 

3.  Docs.  Rel.  to  Col.  Hist,  of  State  of  New  York,  V,  727.     For 

this  reference  the  abbreviated  form,  A''.   Y.  Col.  Docs., 
will  be  used  hereafter. 

4.  S.  E.  Dawson,  North  America,  1, 49  (Stanford's  Cmnpendium) . 


12  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

hence  few  buildings.  Vessels  were  built  upon  Lake 
Ontario  and  Lake  Erie  and  the  Upper  Lakes,  but  they 
were  small  and  few  in  number.  Along  the  shores  of 
the  St.  Lawrence,  as  along  the  New  England  coast, 
some  timber  was  shipped  to  Europe,  but  the  industry 
was  small  when  compared  to  the  development  in  later 
periods.  Their  chief  importance  during  both  French 
and  English  occupation  of  the  Lakes  region  was  in- 
direct— they  harbored  a  great  variety  of  wild  game. 
Sheltered  in  the  depth  of  these  great  forests  there  were 
many  fur-bearing  animals,  such  as  the  beaver,  the 
otter,  the  mink,  the  fox,  the  raccoon,  the  bear,  and 
others,  that  made  the  Great  Lakes  region  desired  by 
French,  British,  and  American  traders.  The  control 
of  the  rich  harvests  of  furs  of  the  Lakes  region  was 
undoubtedly  the  chief  prize  fought  for  by  both  French 
and  British  nations  in  the  long  struggle  for  supremacy 
in  America. 

The  fur  trade  was  easily  over-exploited,  and  as  the 
animals  became  scarcer  and  scarcer,  the  hunters  were 
obliged  to  go  farther  and  farther  into  the  depths  of 
the  forest  in  search  of  them.  Yet  for  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  Detroit  was  one  of  the  chief 
centers  of  the  fur  trade  in  the  Lakes  region.  Situated 
in  the  heart  of  this  region,  the  many  lakes,  rivers,  and 
portages  gave  it  access  to  a  large  area  from  which  to 
draw  ftn*s.^ 

The  Indian^  of  the  Great  Lakes  region  were  members 
of  two  great  families,  the  Iroquoian  and  Algonquian,^ 

5.  The  influence  of  the  forests  and  the  fur  trade  in  the  develop- 

ment of  the  Lakes  region  and  Detroit  will  be  discussed 
in  greater  detail  in  subsequent  chapters. 

6.  Handbook  Amer.  Inds.,  I,  38,  601,  Bull.  30,  Bur.  Amer.  Eth. 


GEOGRAPHIC '  SETTING  13 

with  the  Siouan  family  figuring  in  the  history  only  in 
a  minor  way.  Though  the  many  tribes  were  migra- 
tory in  their  habits,  each  tribe  or  band  kept  to  fairly 
definite  hunting  grounds. 

The  Iroquoian  family,  as  determined  by  linguistic 
studies,  was  composed  of  the  Hurons,  the  Neutrals,  the 
Iroquois  (or  Five  Nations  of  New  York),  and  the 
Tuscarora.  These  tribes  occupied  at  one  time  or 
another  the  lower  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  New 
York  State,  part  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  shores  of 
Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  and  the  east  shore  of  Lake 
Huron. '^ 

The  most  important  tribes  of  this  family  were  the 
Iroquois  of  New  York.  They  had  a  strong  confeder- 
acy, formed  about  1570,^  which,  up  to  1722,  was  made 
up  of  the  following  tribes:  Mokawk,  Oneida,  Onon- 
daga, Cayuga,  and  Seneca.  In  1722  the  Tuscarora  of 
the  upper  Susquehanna  Valley  joined  their  confederacy, 
and  henceforth  the  Iroquois  were  known  as  the  Six 
Nations.^  The  leaders  of  the  Five  Nations  were  crafty 
diplomats  and  even  the  French  and  English  statesmen 
found  them  their  equal  on  many  an  occasion.  Golden 
in  1765  complained  to  Johnson,  "The  Iroquois  assimie 
too  much  to  themselves  in  directing  the  affairs  of  all 
other  (Indian)  nations  and  something  should  be  done 
to  check  their  ambition  of  having  the  lead  every- 
where."^" Champlain's  expedition  against  them  in 
1609  made  them  from  the  very  first  the  enemies  of 
the  French  and  the  firm  alHes  of  the  EngHsh.     From 

7.  Ibid.,  615. 

8.  Ibid.,  618;  Jes.  Rel.,  LI,  295. 

9.  Handbook  Amer.  Ind.,  I,  615. 
10.  New  York  Hist.  Coll.  of  1877,  19. 


14  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

their  central  position  in  New  York  they  were  able  to 
make  quick  attacks  in  any  direction  upon  the  sur- 
rounding tribes.  The  Susquehanna,  the  Delaware,  and 
the  Allegheny  rivers  led  southward  from  their  country. 
The  Mohawk  depression  and  the  Hudson-Champlain 
depression  with  their  waterways  gave  them  access  to  the 
north  and  to  the  southeast.  Lake  Ontario  and  the 
St.  Lawrence  gave  them  easy  passage  to  the  north 
and  northeast.  The  Trent  River  route,  the  Ottawa 
route.  Lake  Erie  and  the  Maumee-Wabash  route 
offered  easy  approach  to  a  vast  region  to  the  west.'^ 
Due  to  their  proximity  to  the  coast  and  the  trading 
posts  on  the  Hudson,  the  Iroquois  were  the  first  to 
obtain  firearms  from  the  Dutch. ^-  With  white  man's 
weapons,  the  Iroquois  were  able  to  wage  relentless  and 
successful  wars  against  the  neighboring  tribes,  and 
even  storm  the  very  gates  of  the  French  forts  at 
Montreal  and  Quebec.  For  many  years  the  Jesuit 
reports  {Jesuit  Relations)  ^  contained  numerous  com- 
plaints of  their  depredations.  In  the  Relations  for 
1642,  it  is  written,  "The  Iroquois  have  as  usual  acted 
like  fiends;  they  have  been  in  the  field  winter,  spring, 
and  summer.  They  have  massacred  many  Hurons  and 
Algonquians,  they  have  captured  Frenchmen  and  killed 
some.  There  is  only  one  conclusion,  peace  must  be 
made  or  the  Iroquois  exterminated."^^  At  times  they 
threatened  seriously  the  trade  of  Montreal  with  the 
western  Indian  tribes.  The  Relations  for  1645,  com- 
menting on  the  fear  the  Indians  of  the  West  had  of 

11.  Schoolcraft,  Hist,  of  Ind.  Tribes  of  N.  A.,  VI,  34. 

12.  Jesuit  Relations,  XXXIV.  123. 

13.  Ibid.,  XXII,  43. 


GEOGRAPHIC  SETTING  15 

the  Iroquois,  say,  "Were  it  not  for  the  latter  [the 
Iroquois]  they  would  come  and  enrich  this  country 
with  their  furs  and  we  should  visit  them  to  enrich 
Heaven  with  the  glorious  spoils  that  we  should  wrest 
from  the  powers  of  Hell."^''  And  again  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  write,  "Truly,  our  hearts  bleed  when  we  see 
ourselves  at  the  gate  of  so  fair  a  harvest  and  unable  to 
enter;  when  we  see  so  many  fall  into  Hell,  when  they 
are  so  near  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  And  what  is  the 
cause  of  all  of  this?  A  little  handful  of  Iroquois  who 
all  together  would  not  equal  a  thousandth  part  of 
those  whose  salvation  they  prevent. "^^  This  powerful 
tribe  held  the  balance  of  power  in  America  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years.  Their  alliance  with  the 
British  gave  the  latter  a  great  advantage  in  the  struggle 
for  supremacy  in  America.  One  reason  for  the  found- 
ing of  Detroit  was  to  curb  the  power  of  the  Iroquois  in 
the  Upper  Lakes  region. 

The  Hurons  occupied  a  portion  of  the  Ontario  low- 
lands between  Lake  Ontario  and  Georgian  Bay  Many 
of  their  villages  were  about  the  shores  of  Lake  Simcoe. 
These  Indians  constructed  bark  cabins  and  lived  within 
palisaded  walls.  They  lived  a  semi-sedentary  life,  cul- 
tivating corn,  beans,  pimipkins,  and  tobacco.  They 
were  keen  traders  and  served  as  middlemen  between 
the  French  and  the  Neutral  Nation,  the  latter  not 
having  ready  access  to  the  waterways  that  led  to 
Montreal. ^^  In  1648-50  the  Iroquois  fell  upon  the 
Hurons  and  drove  them  beyond  the  Straits  of  Mack- 
inac, even  to  the  woods  of  northern  Wisconsin.     The 

14.  Ibid.,  XLY,  185. 

15.  Ibid.,  189. 

16.  Ibid.,  XXXVIII,  235;  I,  21. 


16  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

Huron  tribes  were  scattered  never  to  be  united  firmly 
again.  Henceforth  they  cast  their  lot  with  the  Algon- 
quian  tribes  about  the  Lakes. ^^  A  few  bands  of  Huron 
Indians  established  themselves  at  the  Detroit  Mission 
about  1736. 

The  Algonquian  family  occupied  a  vast  area  in 
Canada  and  the  United  States,  extending  as  far  south 
as  the  Carolinas.  It  was  composed  of  many  tribes. 
About  Lake  Superior  and  the  Ottawa  River  lived  the 
Ottawa,  Chippewa,  and  other  tribes.  Because  of 
thinness  of  soil  in  this  region  many  of  these  tribes 
practiced  little  agriculture,  and  wandered  about  in 
search  of  fish  and  game.  The  Chippewa  lived  most 
of  the  year  at  the  falls  of  the  St.  Mary's  River  where 
fish  were  plentiful.  The  Ottawa,  living  on  one  of  the 
great  canoe  routes,  were  skilful  traders  and  made  long 
voyages  to  the  west  and  east.  They  were  for  many 
years  middlemen  between  the  tribes  of  the  prairies, 
who  had  no  canoes,  and  the  French  at  Montreal  and 
Quebec.  ^^ 

Farther  to  the  west  in  the  Wild-Rice  region  about 
Green  Bay,  the  Fox  River  and  the  many  lakes  of 
Wisconsin,  were  the  Sauk,  Fox,  the  Menominee  and 
others.  The  Wild-Rice  region  probably  sustained  a 
population  equal  to  that  of  all  the  rest  of  the  North- 
west Territory.  ^^  The  sustaining  power  of  the  region 
was  due  not  only  to  the  great  abundance  of  vegetable 
and  animal  food,  but  also  to  furs,  after  the  whites 
furnished  a  market.     Great  quantities  of  furs  were 

17.  Ibid.,  XXXIV,  123;  I,  26;  Upham,  Minnesota  in  Three  Cen- 

turies, I,  95;  Handbook  Amer.  Indians,  I,  588. 

18.  Handbook  Amer.  Indians,  I,  38-40. 

19.  Jenks,  Nineteenth  Ann.  Kept.,  Bur.  Amer.  Eth.,  Pt.  2,  1106. 


GEOGRAPHIC  SETTING  17 

taken  in  this  region  as  late  as  the  middle  of  the  nine- 
teenth century. 

The  Sauk  and  Fox  Indians  from  an  early  date  (about 
1685)  were  hostile  to  French  interests.  For  a  time 
they  closed  the  Fox- Wisconsin  route  to  French  trad- 
ers, ^°  and  in  1712  bands  from  these  and  other  tribes 
attempted  to  destroy  the  post  at  Detroit. ^^  At  a  much 
later  date  they  allied  themselves  with  the  English  in 
the  endeavor  to  keep  the  American  traders  and  set- 
tlers out  of  the  Lakes  region. 

The  Potawatomi,  another  powerful  Algonquian  tribe, 
lived  about  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan.  A  French 
traveler  describes  a  portion  of  their  country  about  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  River  in  southwest  Michigan 
as  he  saw  it  in  1718  as  follows:  ''  'Tis  a  spot  the  best 
adapted  of  [for]  living,  as  regards  the  soil.  There  are 
Pheasants  as  in  France,  quail  and  perroquets  [?];  the 
finest  vines  in  the  world,  which  produce  a  vast  quan- 
tity of  very  excellent  grapes,  both  white  and  black, 
the  berries  very  long.  It  is  the  richest  district  of  all 
that  country.""  The  Indians  of  the  Wabash-Maumee 
Valley  lived  in  a  region  fully  as  rich  in  game  and  in 
agricultural  possibilities  as  did  the  Potawatomi.  The 
Potawatomi  were  numbered  among  the  Indian  popula- 
tion of  Detroit  during  part  of  the  French  and  most  of 
the  English  period  of  occupancy .^^ 

20.  Jes.  Rel.,  IV,  187. 

21.  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  SI.     See    also    discussion    in 

Chapter  III. 

22.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  90. 

23.  Many  of  the  Algonquian  tribes  took  so  active  a  part  in  the 

early  development  of  the  region  down  to  their  expulsion 
and  migration  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, that  the  details  of  their  connection  with  the  affairs 
of  the  region  will  be  left  for  later  consideration. 
3 


18  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

The  Algonquian  tribes  lacked  the  abihty  possessed 
by  the  Iroquois  to  form  strong  and  lasting  confeder- 
acies. This  lack  of  union  may  have  been  the  result  of 
a  lack  of  unity  in  their  geographic  environment.  It 
was  largely  the  cause  of  their  downfall.  Occupying 
such  a  vast  territory,  living  under  such  varied  condi- 
tions, in  valleys,  along  lakes,  and  separated  by  great 
bodies  of  water,  the  bands  and  tribes  were  unable  to 
become  united  even  under  the  stress  of  a  common 
cause.  Under  Pontiac  in  1763,  they  formed  an  alH- 
ance  to  resist  the  occupation  of  the  Lakes  region  by 
the  EngHsh,  but  this  alliance  was  only  temporary. 
One  by  one  the  chiefs  were  won  over  to  the  British 
cause,  and  Pontiac  found  himself  without  support. 
Later,  under  the  powerful  leader  Tecumseh,  the  tribes 
again  made  an  attempt  but  showed  their  failure  to 
cooperate. 

Detroit  w^as  founded  to  check  the  western  advance 
of  the  EngHsh  and  Iroquois.-^  Thovigh  Cadillac  had 
personal  motives,  he  also  had  the  good  of  France  at 
heart.  He  wished  to  draw  about  him  many  Indian 
tribes  and  form  them  into  a  local  army,-^  develop  the 
agricultural  possibilities  of  the  region,  and  make 
Detroit  a  strong  outpost  of  French  power  in  the  Lakes 
region.  Could  this  have  been  accomplished  and  Cadil- 
lac allowed  to  work  out  his  ideals,  the  history  of  the 
Lakes  region  would  have  been  far  different  from  what 
is  written.  He  succeeded  in  drawing  about  him  only 
a  few  Indian  tribes.  A  few  Ottawa,  Hurons,  and 
Potawatomi  came  and  made  their  villages  near  the 


24.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXIII,  132,  Cadillac  Papers. 

25.  A^  y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  812. 


GEOGRAPHIC  SETTING  19 

French  Fort.-^  The  Hurons  came  from  MichilHmack- 
inac,  whither  they  had  returned  from  northern  Wis- 
consin. The  Ottawa  came  from  the  shores  and  islands 
of  Georgian  Bay.  They,  too,  had  feh  the  powerful 
hand  of  the  Iroquois  and  had  fled  to  the  forests  of 
northern  Wisconsin,  but  had  returned  about  1666, 
after  a  treaty  had  been  made  between  the  French 
and  Iroquois." 

All  these  Indians  about  Detroit  figured  largely  in 
the  development  of  the  region.  As  with  many  primi- 
tive people,  to  trade  with  them  was  to  win  their  friend- 
ship. They  were  a  power  in  warfare.  Both  the  Eng- 
lish and  French  sought  to  control  them.  Because  of 
their  barbarity  and  ferocity,  their  employment  in  war 
meant  an  intensification  of  the  hatred  between  the 
contending  parties.  During  the  English  regime  in  the 
Lakes  region  the  Indians  about  Detroit  and  Lake  Erie 
were  a  serious  menace  to  the  incoming  American  set- 
tlers along  the  Ohio  and  in  the  Northwest.  It  took 
many  costly  expeditions  to  break  their  power.  They 
retarded  the  development  of  the  Northwest  for  many 
years. 

26.  Mag.  of  Western  History,  III,  158;  N.  Y.  Coll.  Docs.,  IX,  888. 

27.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  V,  75. 


CHAPTER  II 

Events  Leading  to  Founding  of  Detroit 

T^HE  founding  of  Detroit  was  one  of  the  events  in 
-*-  the  long  struggle  between  the  French  and  English 
for  the  mastery  of  the  region  about  the  Great  Lakes. 
Through  the  discoveries  of  Cartier,  the  French  had 
entered  the  estuary  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  and 
following  the  waterways  that  led  to  the  westward  had 
extended  their  possessions  along  a  strip  of  territory 
two  thousand  miles  in  length,  from  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  English,  bas- 
ing their  rights  of  possession  on  the  discoveries  of  the 
Cabots,^  had  planted  their  settlements  on  or  near  the 
coast  farther  to  the  south — between  the  35th  and  43d 
parallels —  and  laid  claim  to  all  the  land  westward  to 
the  Western  Sea.  That  these  two  nations  should 
cross  each  other's  paths,  and  clash,  was  predeter- 
mined by  the  position  of  their  coastal  settlements  and 
the  direction  of  their  lines  of  advance  into  the  in- 
terior. 

The  events  leading  to  the  founding  of  Detroit  arrange 
themselves  logically  as  follows: 

1.  The  search  for  the  passage  to  the  Western  Sea. 
Some  of  these  voyages  furnished  the  bases  for  claims 
to  land. 

2.  The  planting  of  settlements  on  these  lands  dis- 
covered. 


1.    A^  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IV,  475. 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  21 

3.  The  movement  inland  from  these  settlements. 

4.  The  clash  of  interests,  the  beginning  of  the 
struggle  for  the  mastery  of  the  Lakes  region,  and  the 
founding  of  Detroit. 

The  voyages  of  Verrazano,  Cartier,  and  the  Cabot s 
were  only  a  few  of  the  many  expeditions  undertaken 
in  the  fifteenth,  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  in 
pursuit  of  the  "Quest  of  the  Age,"  an  all-sea  route  to 
the  Orient.  Early  in  the  history  of  discoveries  in  the 
New  World,  it  was  realized  that  the  land  that  had 
been  reached  was  not  Cathay,  the  land  of  jewels, 
gold,  and  spices,  and  that  America  was  a  barrier 
through  which  a  passage  must  be  sought.  In  this 
search,  English,  French,  Dutch,  Portuguese,  and  Span- 
ish navigators  explored  every  inlet  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  North  America  that  seemed  to  promise  a 
passage  to  the  West.  Of  chief  interest  here  are  the 
voyages  that  led  to  the  planting  of  settlements  on  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  Hudson  rivers. 

After  the  discovery  of  the  cod  fisheries  of  the  Grand 
Banks  by  Cabot  in  1498,  Norman  and  Breton  fisher- 
men, as  early  as  1504,  began  to  visit  the  coast  of  New- 
foundland and  the  mainland  to  the  west.^  In  1523 
Jean  Verrazano  under  a  commission  from  Francis  I, 
landed  at  various  points  along  the  eastern  coast  of 
North  America,  and  traded  with  the  Indians.^ 

The  Paris  Documents  state^  that  subsequent  to  this 
expedition,  the  French  king  "sent  Jacques  Cartier  of 
the  town  of  St.  Malo  to  discover  new  continents,  who 

2.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  266,  378. 

3.  Ibid. 

4.  Ibid. 


22  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

made  two  voyages,  one  in  1534  and  the  other  in  1535; 
he  was  the  first  European  who  with  two  large  King's 
ships,  each  eight  hundred  tons  burthen,  entered  the 
river  St.  Lawrence  and  ascended  it  120  leagues  as 
far  as  the  island  of  Orleans." 

The  broad  estuary  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  entire 
absence  of  a  current,  the  deep  water,  and  the  saltiness 
of  the  water,  all,  probably,  led  Cartier  to  believe  that 
the  St.  Lawrence  was  a  strait  and  that  the  Western 
Sea  lay  just  beyond.  Cartier  undoubtedly  had  seen 
the  map,  then  recently  drawn  by  Mazzilo  (1527), 
which  showed  a  great  interior  sea,  the  Mare  Indicum, 
in  the  heart  of  North  America,  and  separated  from 
the  Atlantic  by  only  a  narrow  strip  of  land.^  Although 
Cartier  failed  to  find  a  passage  to  the  Western  Sea, 
his  voyages  resulted  in  a  discovery  of  great  impor- 
tance in  the  history  of  eastern  North  America,  the 
discovery  of  a  broad  opening  to  a  vast  interior.  With 
the  discoveries  of  Cartier  began  the  history  of  Canada, 
and  began  also  "the  most  determined  and  long  con- 
tinued efforts  to  discover  a  route  to  the  Pacific.  To 
follow  these  waterways  until  they  should  lead  to  the 
Mer  de  I'Ouest  (Western  Sea)  was  one  of  the  guiding 
motives  of  many  of  the  explorers  of  New  France  from 
Cartier  to  La  Verendrye."® 

In  1609  Henry  Hudson,  in  the  employ  of  the  Dutch 
East  India  Company,  set  sail  from  Holland  to  find  a 
shorter  route  to  China  and  Cathay.  Failing  to  find 
a  northeast  passage,  he  turned  the  prow  of  his  vessel 
toward  America,  and  coasting  along  the  New  England 

5.  Douglas,  Old  France  in  the  New  World,  20. 

6.  Burpee,  Search  for  the  Western  Sea,  234. 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  23 

shores,  finally  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson  River. 
The  deep  soundings  and  tidal  movements  of  the  waters 
induced  him  to  explore  this  river  beyond  the  site  of 
Albany.^  Here  he  found  a  down  current,  fresh  and 
clear,  and  the  channel  narrowing  and  shoaling;  yet 
unwilling  to  abandon  his  long-cherished  hope,  he  dis- 
patched a  small  boat  to  examine  the  river  further  up 
stream.  The  return  of  this  party  and  the  announce- 
ment that  they  "found  it  to  be  at  an  end  for  shipping 
to  go  in,"  blasted  his  hopes  of  reaching  the  Western 
Sea  by  this  route. ^  The  bay  and  the  river  of  the 
Delaware  were  also  explored  during  this  voyage.  The 
Hudson  River  later  came  to  be  known  as  the  "Great 
North  River"  and  the  Delaware,  the  "South  River. "^ 
The  land  between  these  two  rivers  the  Dutch  called 
New  Netherlands,  and  from  the  first  they  meant  to 
occupy  and  hold  it  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  Euro- 
pean nations,  although  it  was  included  within  the 
territory  which  James  of  England  had  granted  to  the 
Virginia  Company  in  1606.^°  The  attitude  of  the 
Dutch  in  this  matter  was  similar  to  that  of  all  the 
other  colonizing  nations  at  that  time,  for  the  "sole 
market"  doctrine,  the  doctrine  that  "the  commercial 
prosperity  of  a  country  depended  upon  the  creation, 
maintenance  and  extension  of  a  sole  market  for  its 
products  and  for  its  supplies,"  was  particularly  pre- 

7.  Brodhead,  Hist,  of  State  of  New  York,  I,  31. 

8.  A^.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  I,  94,  275;  N.  Y.  Hist.  Soc.  Colls,  I,  20; 

Annals  of  Albany,  I,  11,  report  written  by  Robt.  Ivet,  a 
member  of  the  expedition. 

9.  Brodhead,  Hist,  of  State  of  New  York,  I,  26;  Wilson,  Hist,  of 

U.  S.,  1,  73. 
10.     Brodhead,  Hist,  of  State  of  New  York,  I,  35. 


24_  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

valent  in  Europe. ^^  It  was  the  spur  of  this  doctrine 
that  brought  about  the  rivalry  between  the  maritime 
powers  of  Europe  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  cen- 
turies in  the  search  for  the  Western  Passage  to  the 
Orient. 

The  British  made  only  half-hearted  attempts  to 
explore  the  many  tidal  estuaries  of  Chesapeake  Bay, 
but  in  the  examination  of  the  shores  of  Hudson  Bay 
they  were  at  their  best.  Here  Gilbert,  Davis,  Hudson, 
Baffin,  and  James  battled  with  ice  and  cold.  Though 
these  hardy  explorers  left  little  to  commemorate  their 
attempts  beyond  the  names  they  gave  to  straits,  bays, 
and  rivers,  it  was  upon  the  basis  of  their  discoveries 
that  the  British  laid  claim  to  the  region  about  Hudson 
Bay;  and  it  was  on  this  claim  that  the  Hudson  Bay 
Fur  Company  was  granted,  in  1670,  commercial  privi- 
leges over  a  large  part  of  what  is  now  the  Dominion 
of  Canada,  north  of  the  Great  Lakes. ^-  How  this  com- 
pany came  into  the  affairs  of  Detroit  in  connection 
with  the  fur  trade,  will  be  discussed  in  a  later  con- 
nection. 

Although  by  degrees  the  European  nations  came  to 
recognize  the  uselessness  of  further  search  for  a  water 
passage  through  the  barrier  of  North  America,  the 
French  continued  the  search  well  on  into  the  middle 
of  the  eighteenth  century.  Even  after  Carticr  had 
told  the  story  of  the  winter's  suffering  of  1540  at  the 
head  of  a  contracting  gulf  which  received  the  clear 
fresh  waters  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  the  hope  still 

11.  Rogers,  Econ.  Interpretation  of  History,  323. 

12.  Brvce,  Hist,  of  Hudson  Bay  Co.,  63;  Burpee,  Search  for  the 

Western  Sea,  S,  22,  24. 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  25 

was  cherished  that  the  mighty  river  might  lead  the 
explorer  to  the  treasures  of  Asia.  The  name  La 
Chine,  applied  to  the  rapids  in  the  St.  Lawrence  near 
Montreal,  is  a  memorial  of  the  hope  that  the  Western 
Sea  lay  along  this  route.^^  Indian  descriptions,  painted 
with  the  colors  of  a  powerful  imagination,  led  the 
French  explorers  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  foot- 
hills of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

In  1608  Champlain  founded  Quebec.  In  the  seventy- 
three  years  intervening  between  the  visit  of  Cartier  and 
the  planting  of  this  settlement  the  French  had  not 
been  idle  in  their  attempts  to  colonize  their  posses- 
sions. Between  1541  and  1544,  both  Cartier  and 
Roberval  made  vain  attempts  to  found  a  colony  at 
the  head  of  the  St.  Lawrence  estuary^'*  and  from  1544 
to  1608,  though  nothing  definite  was  done,  the  fre- 
quent visits  of  the  fishermen  and  traders  to  the  Banks 
of  Newfoundland  kept  the  idea  of  colonization  ever 
in  mind.  Between  1543  and  1545  two  vessels  are 
said  to  have  sailed  daily  during  January  and  Febru- 
ary for  America  from  the  ports  of  northwestern 
France.^^ 

In  1608  De  Monts,  who  held  a  concession  from  the 
French  crown  to  trade  in  the  New  World,  having 
failed  in  1605  to  plant  a  permanent  colony  on  St. 
Croix  Island  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  fitted  out  two 
vessels  for  a  new  venture.  For  a  leader  he  selected 
Champlain.     The  latter  had  taken  part  in  three  pre- 

13.  Bryce,  Hist.  Hudson  Bay  Co.,  78;  Douglas,  Old  France  in  the 

New  World,  9. 

14.  Douglas,  Old  France  in  the  New  World,  44-51. 

15.  Ihid.,  69. 


26  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

vioiis  enterprises  and  knew  every  feature  of  the  gulf 
and  river,  and  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
habits  and  nature  of  the  Indians.  The  aim  of  the 
expedition  was  to  colonize  as  well  as  to  trade,  but 
"money  making  was  more  important  than  empire 
building,"  and  Quebec  remained  for  many  decades  a 
mere  trading  post.  This,  however,  did  not  detract 
from  its  importance  as  a  center  of  French  power  in 
America,  for  it  became  the  political  center  of  New 
France,  and  until  the  founding  of  Montreal  in  1642 
was  the  only  important  base  from  which  explorations, 
trade,  and  settlement  were  carried  along  the  water- 
ways far  to  the  west  and  southwest. 

There  are  many  favorable  elements  in  the  position 
of  Quebec  that  were  of  value  in  making  it  a  permanent 
colony  of  New  France.  It  is  at  the  head  of  a  great 
estuary  fully  800  miles  from  the  Ocean.  It  therefore 
had  all-sea  communication  with  the  mother  country. 
Being  situated  so  far  from  the  ocean,  it  was  not  likely 
to  be  subjected  to  frequent  attacks  from  maritime 
marauders.  It  is  at  the  mouth  of  a  great  river,  having 
thus  access  to  a  vast  area  from  which,  during  more 
than  two  centuries,  enormous  quantities  of  furs  were 
obtained.  This  gave  it  a  product  for  export  from 
which  large  profits  were  drawn.  It  is  at  the  eastern 
end  of  the  plains  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  most  fertile 
part  of  Lower  Canada.  The  area  for  agriculture  is 
small,  the  growing  season  short,  yet  a  few  of  the  set- 
tlers tilled  the  soil  and  supplied  some  of  the  food  of 
the  colony  in  spite  of  the  greater  opportunities  offered 
by  the  fur  trade  for  gain. 

Although  France  took  the  lead  in  the  earlier  decades 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  27 

as  a  colonizer  in  northeastern  North  America,  neither 
the  Enghsh  nor  the  Dutch  escaped  the  epidemic  of 
colonial  expansion.  It  was  the  profitable  fur  trade 
with  the  Indians  on  the  great  North  River  that  first 
led  a  few  adventurous  Dutch  to  build  a  small  fort, 
or  trading  post,  far  up  the  river  some  four  years 
before  any  systematic  attempts  were  made  toward 
colonization.^^  In  1615  the  New  Netherland  Company 
was  granted  an  exclusive  right  to  trade  for  three 
years  in  the  region  called  New  Netherlands,^"^  and  the 
same  year  they  built  a  small  fort  on  North  River  on 
Manhattan  Island.  ^^  The  New  Netherlands  Company 
grew  into  the  West  India  Company,  and  in  1623  the 
latter  made  two  settlements  on  the  Hudson  River, 
one  at  Fort  Amsterdam  (New  York)  and  the  other  at 
Fort  Orange  ( Albany ).^^  These  colonies  were  planted 
exclusively  for  trade.  Agricultural  colonization  was 
not  the  purpose  of  the  Dutch.  In  the  Holland  Docu- 
ments for  1638  it  is  written, ^*^  "nothing  comes  from  New 
Netherlands  but  beaver  skins,  minks,  and  other  furs." 
Of  these  two  posts  Fort  Orange  was  the  best  situated 
for  the  trade  in  furs,  being  farther  inland  and  nearer 
the  fur-producing  region.  It  was  built  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Hudson,  near  the  head  of  deep-water 
navigation,  on  the  edge  of  the  fertile  territory  of  the 
Iroquois,  and  only  about  fifteen  miles  south  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Mohawk  River.     Like  Quebec,  it  thus 

16.  Wilson,  Hist,  oj  Amer.  People,  I,  73. 

17.  Brodhead,  Hist,  of  State  of  New  York,  I,  66. 

18.  A^.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  I,  564. 

19.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  I,  564;  Jesuit  Relations,  XXXIV,  311; 

Weise  [Hist,  of  Albany,  21]  says  Ft.  Orange  was  built  in 
May,  1624. 

20.  A^.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  1,  107;  Holland  Docs.,  II. 


28  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

had  access  to  a  large  area  rich  in  furs,  and  an  all-sea 
communication  with  Europe.  The  advantages  of  the 
position  of  Fort  Orange  were  seen  by  the  French,  who 
as  early  as  1540  attempted  to  build  a  fortified  trading 
post  near  the  site  of  Albany.  In  1614  the  Dutch 
built  Fort  Nassau  on  Castle  Island,  but  later  abandoned 
the  post.-^  Many  early  writers  commented  on  the 
favorable  position  of  Fort  Orange. -- 

As  previously  stated,  the  Dutch  territory  lay  within 
the  boundaries  claimed  by  the  English,  and  the  latter 
lost  no  time,  when  opportunity  and  a  sufficient  force 
permitted,  to  enforce  their  claim  to  all  the  coastal 
lands.  This  opportunity  came  in  1664,  and  Fort 
Amsterdam  became  Fort  James;  Fort  Orange,  Fort 
Albany;  and  New  Netherlands,  New  York.-^  Thvis  the 
English  were  at  the  entrance  of  one  of  the  gateways 
into  the  interior,  fifty-six  years  after  the  French  had 
planted  their  permanent  settlement  at  the  entrance  to 
the  gateway  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 

To  the  French  must  be  given  much  of  the  credit  for 
the  exploration  of  interior  North  America.-'  From  the 
founding  of  Quebec  almost  to  the  close  of  the  eight- 
eenth century  the  tide  of  French  traders,  missionaries, 
and  soldiers  rolled  westward  up  the  great  valley  and 
traversed  all  the  main  waterways  from  Montreal  wcst- 

21.  Wcise,  Hist,  of  Albany,  4. 

22.  See  Coldcn  Papers,  1751,  in  N .  Y.  Hist.  Colls,  for  1876,    p. 

67;  Long,  Travels,  II,  49,  Thwaites  Ed. 

23.  Brodhcad,  Hist,  of  State  of  N.  Y.,  I,  743,  744. 

24.  Recent    research    has    demonstrated    that    the   \'irginians 

made  several  expeditions  across  the  Appalachian  Ridges 
to  the  basin  of  the  Mississippi  River  between  1650  and 
1674.  See  Alvord  and  Bidgood,  Trans-Allegheny  Ex- 
plorations (1912). 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  29 

ward  nearly  to  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  northward  far  into  Canada.^^ 

In  1615  Cham.plain  ascended  the  Ottawa  and  went 
thence  by  Lake  Nipissing  to  Georgian  Bay  and  Lake 
Huron.  On  his  return  he  traveled  along  the  north 
shore  of  Lake  Ontario.  Nicolet  was  sent  by  Cham- 
plain  in  1634  to  find  a  passage  way  to  the  Sea  of 
China,  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  Indian  tribes 
near  Lake  Huron,  and  establish  a  trade  in  peltries. 
He  visited  the  rapids  of  the  St.  Mary's  River,  and 
later,  reaching  Green  Bay,  passed  up  the  Fox  River  a 
short  distance.-*^  In  1666  Father  Allouez  paddled  along 
the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  saw  copper  at 
Keweenaw  Point,  and  farther  west  near  the  site  of 
Ashland  founded  the  mission  of  La  Point  de  Saint 
Esprit.-^  Father  Albanel  was  sent  overland  from  Que- 
bec, along  the  network  of  rivers  and  lakes  to  Hudson 
Bay.-^  In  1673  Johet  and  Marquette  set  out  for  the 
South  Sea.  They  went  by  way  of  the  Fox- Wisconsin 
route  to  the  Mississippi,  down  this  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Arkansas,  and  brought  back  the  first  official  report 
of  the  discovery  of  the  ''Father  of  Waters."-^     Nine 

25.  Burpee,   Search  for  Western  Sea,    193;  Mich.  Hist.   Colls., 

VIII,  418  (Walker). 

26.  Utley  and  Cutcheon,  Mich,  as  a  Prov.,  Terr,  and  State,  I,  46. 

27.  Jesuit  Relations,  LVIII,  93,  reported  by  Dablon. 

28.  Ibid,  LVII,  149,  185,  217. 

29.  Ibid.,  LIV,   189.     Marquette  announced  his  plan  m  1672. 

He  had  been  told  that  the  Great  River  emptied  into  the 
ocean  at  Virginia.  He  could  not  believe  this  and  was 
determined  to  see  whether  it  emptied  into  the  Western 
Sea  or  the  South  Sea.  It  is  claimed  that  Radiss®n  and 
Grosseilliers  had  been  on  the  Mississippi  River  at  an 
earlier  date.  See  Thwaites,  France  in  America,  55;  A^  Y . 
Col.  Docs.,  IX,  268,  305,  797. 


30  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

years  later  La  Salle,  following  the  Chicago-Illinois  route 
to  the  Mississippi,  reached  the  mouth  of  the  great 
river  and  saw  the  South  Sea,  but  not  the  sea  that 
washes  the  shores  of  Cathay. 

On  the  basis  of  these  and  other  discoveries  the 
French  laid  claim  to  the  interior  of  North  America. 
In  1671,  though  Marquette  and  Joliet  had  not  yet 
seen  the  Mississippi,  and  La  Salle  had  not  reached  the 
Gulf,  under  impressive  ceremonies  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie 
they  took  formal  possession  of  the  great  interior. 
They  based  their  rights  upon  priority  of  discovery,  for 
at  that  time  "it  was  an  established  custom  and  rightly 
recognized  by  all  Christian  nations  that  the  first  dis- 
coverer in  an  unknown  country  not  inhabited  by 
Europeans  [acquired]  property  in  that  coimtry  for  the 
prince  in  whose  name  he  [had]  taken  possession  of 
it."3° 

The  Dutch  and  EngHsh  with  their  trading  posts  at 
the  very  entrance  to  the  Mohawk  Gateway  had  gone 
scarcely  beyond  sight  of  their  stockade.  One  historian 
states  that  up  to  1685  Greenhalgh  had  been  the  only 
Christian  under  the  New  York  government  who  had 
gone  as  far  as  the  Seneca  Country  in  western  New 
York^^  and  Dongan,  Governor  of  New  York,  in  his 
report  of  February  22,  1687,  writes,  "Before  my  com- 
ing hither  no  man  of  our  government  ever  went  be- 
yond the  Senicaes  [Senecas]  country.  Last  year  some 
of  our  people  went  a  trading  among  the  far  Indians 
called  the  Ottowais  [Ottawas  at  Mackinac]  inhabiting 

30.  A^  y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  203,  266,   268,  303,  378,  701,  702; 

Ibid.,   I,   688-Denonville  on  French  limits  in  America; 
Winsor,  i\an.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  IV,  178. 

31.  Brodhead,  Hist,  of  the  State  of  New  York,  II,  429. 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  31 

about  three  month's  journey  to  the  west  and  north- 
west of  Albany,  from  whence  they  brought  a  good 
many  bever  [beaver]."^-  Four  years  before,  it  will  be 
remembered,  La  Salle  had  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi. 

The  chief  reason  for  such  inactivity  is  to  be  found 
in  the  presence  of  the  Iroquois  in  central  New  York, 
who,  besides  furnishing  the  posts  at  Albany  and  New 
York  with  furs  from  their  own  hunting  groimds,  acted 
as  middlemen  for  s'ome  of  the  tribes  to  the  west.  By 
1649  the  beaver  country  of  New  York  had  become 
nearly  depleted  of  its  fur-bearing  animals,  and  the 
Iroquois  found  it  necessary  to  extend  their  hunting 
grounds.  The  most  logical  direction  for  expansion, 
because  of  suitable  waterways  and  better  hunting 
grounds,  was  to  the  westward;  and  so  in  1649  and  1650 
they  fell  upon  the  Huron  and  Ottawa  Indians  in  the 
Ontario  Lowlands  and  drove  them  far  to  the  north. ^^ 
In  this  attack  there  was  a  double  purpose — avenging 
old  wrongs  with  the  Hurons,  and  increasing  their 
hunting  grounds. ^'^  On  the  basis  of  this  conquest  the 
Iroquois  claimed  the  right  to  hunting  grounds  as  far 
west  as  Lake  Michigan,  and  thus  a  large  tract  of 
beaver  country  was  made  tributary  to  the  post  at 
Fort  Orange.  ^^  The  quiet  Dutch  trader,  therefore,  had 
but  to  remain  at  his  post  on  the  Hudson  and  reap  his 
profits,  and  had  no  incentive  to  traverse  the  unknown 

32.  A^.  y.  Col.  Docs.,  I,  100. 

33.  Jesuit  Relations,  XXXIV,  123;  Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  Ill,   127 

(Shea) . 

34.  Handbook  of  Amer.  Indians,  I,  587,  588;  American  Anti- 

quarian, I,  229  (Baldwin). 

35.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IV,  908. 


32  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

lands  to  the  west.  As  for  the  aggressive  Englishman  in 
the  northern  colonies,  for  many  decades  he  was  too 
busy  exploiting  the  New  England  region  of  its  furs  and 
enforcing  his  claim  to  coastal  lands  against  the  Swedes 
and  Dutch  to  examine  the  lands  in  the  Interior  or 
search  actively  for  the  Western  Sea.  It  was  not  until 
the  British  had  become  supreme  on  the  Atlantic  Coast, 
and  had  entered  actively  into  the  trade  in  furs  in  the 
New  York  region,  that  they  became  at  all  interested  in 
lands  about  the  Great  Lakes. 

The  trade  in  furs  began  with  the  first '  arrival  of 
European  explorers  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Am.erica. 
The  Norsemen,  as  well  as  Verrazano,  Cartier,  Rober- 
val,  and  others,  carried  furs  back  to  Europe. '"^^  Hudson 
in  his  voyage  up  the  "Great  North  River"  traded  in 
furs,  and  in  1610  in  his  expedition  to  Hudson  Bay  he 
began  the  trading  that  has  continued  to  be  the  chief 
occupation  of  white  men  on  the  shores  of  that  great 
bay  down  to  the  present.  The  trade  in  furs  played 
no  less  a  part  in  interior  exploration.  One  writer  has 
said,  in  effect,  that  the  waterways  permitted  explora- 
tion, while  the  furs  of  the  region  promoted  explora- 
tion." The  trade  in  furs  was  a  feature  of  nearly  every 
expedition,  and  many  of  the  expeditions  into  new 
regions  were  undertaken  in  the  interest  of  the  trade. 
Nicolet  was  sent  in  part  to  develop  a  trade  in  peltries. 
The  chief  reason  for  the  expedition  of  La  Salle  down 
the  Mississippi  River  was  to  extend  his  trading  terri- 

36.  Thwaites,  France  in  Anier.,  3;  Johns  Hopkins  Univ.  Studies, 

Series  IX,  Nos.  11  and  12,  p.  11  (Turner);  A^.  Y.  Col.  Docs., 
IX.  266.  378. 

37.  Johns  Hopkins  Univ.  Studies,  Series  Nos.  11  and  12,  p.  22. 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  33 

tory.^^  De  Vaudreuil  recommended,  as  a  preliminary- 
step  in  the  search  beyond  the  Great  Lakes  for  the 
Western  Sea,  that  three  posts  be  estabhshed  to  the 
west  of  Lake  Superior,  at  which  points  furs  could  be 
collected  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  expedition.  Golden 
remarks  in  this  connection, ^^  ''The  French  have  been 
indefatigable  in  making  discoveries  and  carrying  on 
their  commerce  with  nations  whom  the  English  know 
nothing  about,  but  what  they  see  in  French  maps  and 
books.  The  barreness  of  soil  and  the  coldness  of  the 
climate  of  Ganada  oblige  a  greater  part  to  seek  their 
living  by  traveling  among  the  Indians  or  trading  with 
those  who  do  travel." 

The  trade  in  furs  will  ever  be  associated  chiefly  with 
French  exploration  and  occupation  of  the  region  about 
the  Great  Lakes  and  along  the  St.  Lawrence.  Pur- 
chase, in  his  Pilgrimages  (London,  1614),  says,^°  "The 
great  river  Ganada  [St.  Lawrence]  hath  like  an  in- 
satiable merchant  engrossed  all  those  commodities  so 
that  other  streams  are  in  a  manner  but  mere  ped- 
dlars." 

As  previously  stated,  it  was  the  desire  on  the  part 
of  the  English  to  participate  in  the  profits  of  the  trade 
in  furs  in  the  Lakes  region  that  induced  Dongan  to 
send  the  first  English  party  to  the  Ottawa  country. 
Though  this  expedition  marked  the  beginning  of  the 
struggle  in  the  trade  in  furs  in  the  Detroit  region,  the 
clash  of  the  rival  French  and  English  interests  had 
begun  already  on  Lake  Ontario. 

38.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  127. 

39.  Ibid.,  V,  727. 

40.  Winsor,  Nan.  and  Crit,  History,  IV,  163. 

5 


34 


HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  35 

While  the  EngHsh  were  active  along  the  Atlantic 
seaboard,  spreading  their  settlements  and  exploiting 
the  resources  of  sea  and  land,  the  French,  aided  by 
the  numerous  waterways  of  the  St.  Lawrence  System, 
had  visited,  preached  to,  ministered  to,  and  traded 
with  most  of  the  Indian  tribes  about  the  Great  Lakes. 
Though  the  French  traders  never  hesitated  to  drive  a 
sharp  bargain,  their  fraternal  feeling  toward  the  sav- 
ages and  the  self-sacrificing  devotion  of  their  mission- 
aries, won  them  many  an  Indian  friend.  Their  suc- 
cess in  this  was  so  great  that  at  the  ceremonies  at 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  in  1671,  some  fourteen  different 
savage  nations  were  represented.^^  These  victories  of 
the  French  gave  them  no  little  satisfaction.  Talon  in 
1671,  writing  to  Louis  XIV,  commented  on  the  seem- 
ing advantage  of  the  French  as  follows:''^  "The  foreign 
colonies  [the  English]  so  long  settled  on  the  sea- 
board already  tremble  with  fright  in  view  of  what 
His  Majesty  has  accomplished  here  in  the  Interior 
within  7  (seven)  years.  .  .  .  They  are  already 
aware  that  the  King's  name  is  spread  so  far  abroad 
among  the  savages  throughout  all  those  countries  that 
he  alone  is  there  regarded  by  them  as  the  arbitrator 
of  peace  and  war." 

The  French,  however,  were  not  to  be  left  long  in 
the  undisputed  commercial  control  of  the  western 
Indians.     Tonty,  writing  in  1670,  complained  that  the 

41.  This  was  a  timely  and  masterful  move  on  the  part  of  the 

French  in  their  attempts  to  control  the  traffic  in  furs  in 
the  Upper  Lakes  region.  Brodhead,  Hist,  of  State  of 
New  York,  II,  179. 

42.  Brodhead,  Hist,  of  State  ofN.  Y.,  II,  179;  N.  Y.   Col.  Docs., 

IX,  72,  73. 


36  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

English  at  Boston  and  the  Dutch  at  New  York  were 
drawing  to  themselves  yearly  more  than  twelve  thou- 
sand livres  of  beaver,  trapped  by  the  Indians  in  the 
country  claimed  by  the  French,"*^  and  the  very  year 
that  Talon  wrote  the  above  to  his  king,  the  Lakes 
Indians  were  sending  their  peltries,  by  means  of  the 
Iroquois,  to  the  post  at  Albany.  This  expansion  of 
the  trading  area  of  Albany  into  the  territory  both 
nations  considered  as  belonging  to  the  French  was  due 
largely  to  the  cheaper  and  better  goods  of  the  Eng- 
lish. The  post  at  Albany  sold  goods  to  the  Indians 
at  prices  much  lower  than  did  the  French  at  Montreal 
and  paid  more  for  furs.  The  cheaper  goods  of  the 
English  were  a  vital  factor  in  the  struggle  for  posses- 
sion of  the  Lakes  region  and  Canada.  A  trade  war 
preceded  and  accompanied  the  appeal  to  arms,  and  the 
English  trader  won  frequent  victories  by  spreading 
among  the  Indians  the  desire  for  English  goods.  As  the 
struggle  progressed,  many  if  not  most  of  the  French 
officials  came  to  realize  the  uselessness  of  the  numerous 
posts  that  had  been  built  to  bar  the  English  traders. 
Twenty  years  after  the  post  at  Detroit  was  founded, 
Charlevoix  wrote, ■*\" There  is  not  a  man  in  all  Canada, 
who  does  not  agree,  that  we  can  never  succeed  in 
hindering  the  Indians  from  carrying  them  [the  Eng- 
lish] their  commodities,  let  them  be  settled  where  they 
will  and  all  the  precautions  we  can  possibly  take,  except 
by  causing  them  [the  Indians]  to  find  the  same  advan- 
tage in  trading  with  us  as  in  the  province  of  New 
York." 

43.  Brodhead,  Hist,  of  State  of  N.  Y.,  II,  170. 

44.  Chadevoix,    Journal,  II,  6 — Quoted   in   North  Amer.  Rev., 

XLVI.  423. 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  37 

There  were  several  reasons  why  the  English  at  Al- 
bany could  sell  goods  to  the  Indians  cheaper  than 
could  the  French  at  Montreal  and  pay  more  for  furs. 
These  are  stated  well  by  Colden  in  his  Memoir  on  the 
Fur  Trade.     In  brief  they  are  as  follows: 

The  vessels  that  plied  between  New  York  and  Lon- 
don could  make  two  voyages  a  year,  and  vessels  from 
Bristol  (the  port  from  which  most  of  the  goods  for  the 
Indian  trade  were  exported),  could  complete  a  round 
trip  in  about  four  months.  On  the  other  hand,  French 
vessels,  plying  between  the  St.  Lawrence  estuary  and 
France  could  make  only  one  voyage  a  year,  because 
the  season  of  navigation  in  the  St.  Lawrence  is  so 
short.  The  harbor  at  New  York  is  open  the  year 
round. 

The  English  goods  were  transported  across  the  ocean 
at  much  less  expense  and  at  much  less  risk  than  were 
the  French  commodities,  as  the  lower  premium  for 
insurance  showed.  As  for  the  cost  and  risks  of  trans- 
portation inland  from  the  ocean,  Albany  had  a  great 
advantage,  as  the  Hudson  River  is  nearly  straight,  and 
free  from  sandbanks  and  rocks  so  that  a  vessel  could 
always  sail  as  well  by  night  as  by  day  and  had  the 
advantage  of  the  tide  upward  as  well  as  downward. 
The  St.  Lawrence,  on  the  other  hand,  had  numerous 
hidden  rocks,  the  winds  usually  opposed  incoming 
vessels,  and  a  strong  current  between  Montreal  and 
Quebec  made  up-stream  navigation  difficult.  Vessels 
almost  never  sailed  at  night. ^^ 

Albany  was  almost  as  near  as  Montreal  to  the 
Indian  country;  but  these  comparative  distances  had 

45.    N.~Y.Col.  Docs.,  V,  728,  729;  Ibid.,  VII,  343. 


38 


HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 


little  consequence  for  the  English  traders,  who,  as  did 
the  Dutch  before  them,  purchased  their  furs  from  the 
Iroquois  Indians  at  Albany  and  thus  avoided  the  trip 
inland.  The  French  traders,  on  the  other  hand,  went 
into  the  Indian  country  with  their  goods  to  make  their 
purchases  of  furs,  and  thus  were  put  to  a  double 
ex;pense:  the  expense  of  transporting  the  goods  to  the 
place  of  disposal,  and  the  expense  of  carrying  the  furs 
to  Montreal  or  Quebec.  Furthermore,  they  could  buy 
only  the  better  grades  of  furs  which  could  stand  the 
heavy  cost  of  transportation.  The  English  could 
handle  all  grades.'*^ 

The  differences  in  prices  at  Albany  and  Montreal  are 
shown  in  the  following  table  :^^ 

The  Indian  paid  for  at  Albany  at  Montreal 

8  pounds  powder  1  beaver,  4  beaver ; 

40  pounds  lead  1  beaver,  3  beaver; 

A  blanket  of  red  cloth  1  beaver,  2  beaver ; 

4  shirts  1  beaver,  2  beaver; 

6  pairs  stockings  1  beaver,  2  beaver; 

1  gun  2  beaver,  5  beaver; 

The  French  were  at  a  further  disadvantage  in  the 
matter  of  procuring  suitable  goods  for  the  Indian  trade. 
Strouds  were  much  prized  by  the  Indians.  They  seem 
to  have  been  made  only  in  England,  and  could  be  pro- 
cured only  from  the  English,  either  in  Europe  or 
America.'  Many  French  at  Montreal  were  forced  to 
purchase  strouds  at  Albany.  The  English,  seeing  the 
advantage  they  had,  passed  laws  prohibiting  the  sale 

46.  Ibid.,  IX.  408. 

47.  Ibid.     Determined  by  a  French  investigator  of  the  period. 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  39 

of  these  goods  to  the  French.  This  was  a  severe  blow 
to  the  Montreal  merchants. ^^  Rum  was  another  article 
in  great  demand  by  the  Indians.  Because  the  French 
had  no  commodity  which  they  could  exchange  for  rum 
in  the  West  Indies,  they  had  to  supply  the  Indians 
with  brandy.  This  cost  much  more  than  rum,  yet  was 
of  no  greater  value  in  the  Indian  trade." 

Besides  all  these  difficulties,  the  French  trader  had 
to  buy  his  goods  from  a  monoploy  and  was  restricted 
from  selling  his  furs  to  any  but  a  monopoly  agent. 
For  permission  to  trade  he  had  to  purchase  a  license 
at  a  cost  of  six  hundred  to  seven  hundred  livres  for  one 
canoe.  ^° 

In  two  particulars  the  French  were  at  an  advantage 
over  the  Enghsh.  They  were  better  situated  to  enjoy 
the  benefits  of  the  waterways  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
region,  and  their  boatmen  (voyageurs  or  batteaux  men) 
cost  them  much  less,  both  in  salary  and  provisions. 

The  first  move  in  the  struggle  for  the  mastery  of  the 
trade  of  the  Great  Lakes  was  the  building  of  Fort 
Frontenac  on  Lake  Ontario  in  1672."  Frontenac 
reached  Canada  the  preceding  simimer.  A  great  con- 
gress was  held  at  Montreal,  and  five  hundred  savages 
in  one  hundred  and  fifty  canoes  came  down  the  St. 
Lawrence  to  meet  the  new  Governor.  At  this  meet- 
ing a  new  treaty  of  peace  was  agreed  upon  by  the 
Iroquois.  To  confirm  this  treaty  the  Governor  in- 
vited the  Iroquois  chiefs  to  meet  him  on  the  north 

48.  lUd.,  VII,  954;  VI,  577,  607,  682,  287,  709,  74L 

49.  Ibid.,  V,  728. 

50.  Ibid.     The  livre  is  an  old  French  coin — about  twenty  cents  in 

U.  S.  money. 

51.  Ibid.,  IX,  12. 


40  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

shore  of  Lake  Ontario  at  Cataracouy  (Kingston). 
There  the  French  flattered  the  Iroquois  with  presents 
and  got  their  consent  to  build  a  fort,  where,  as  the 
French  said,  the  Iroquois  might  come  and  trade." 
Father  Hennepin  says,^^  "They  [the  French]  found  it 
necessary  to  build  this  fort  for  a  bulwark  against  the 
incursions  of  the  Iroquois  and  to  interrupt  the  trade  in 
skins  that  these  savages  maintained  with  the  inhabi- 
tants of  New  York,  ...  for  [the  latter]  furnish[edl 
the  savages  with  commodities  at  a  cheaper  rate  than 
the  French  of  Canada."  To  aid  in  the  collection  of 
furs,  two  vessels  were  built  to  ply  upon  Lake  Ontario.^ 
By  these  means  the  French  hoped  to  capture  all  the 
trafnc  of  the  Lakes. 

The  English  took  no  retaliatory  measures  until  after 
1682,  when  Dongan  became  Governor  of  New  York. 
His  first  move  was  to  send  traders  to  the  Upper  Lakes 
to  seek  the  trade  of  the  western  Indians. ^^  In  1685  he 
licensed  La  Fontaine  and  Roseboom  to  hunt  beaver 
in  the  woods  among  the  western  savages.  They  were 
received  cordially  by  the  Indians  and  brought  back 
many  beaver  skins. ^^  This  advance  of  the  English  into 
territory  the  French  had  taken  possession  of  fifteen 
years  before,  and  which  since  had  remained  uncon- 
tested as  a  part  of  New  France,  caused  consternation 
at  Quebec  and  Montreal. 

To    guard    the    French    trading    territory    against 

52.  Brodhead,  Hist,  of  State  ofN.  Y.,  II,  193. 

53.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  VI,  893. 

54.  Ibid.,  VI,  894. 

55.  Winsor,  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  IV,  192;  Brodhead,  Hist,  of 

State  of  N.  Y.,  II,  429. 

56.  Doc.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  I,  100.     (Not  the  same  series  of  documents 

as  A^.  Y.  Col.  Docs.) 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  41 

further  English  encroachment  by  way  of  the  "Straits," 
Du  Luth  was  sent  in  June,  1686,  to  estabHsh  a  post 
somewhere  on  the  rivers  between  Lake  Huron  and 
Lake  St.  Clair.  He  located  it  at  the  foot  of  Lake 
Huron,  and  named  it  Fort  St.  Joseph."  Dongan, 
hearing  this,  decided  to  make  a  more  determined  effort 
to  win  the  trade  of  the  Upper  Lakes,  and  sent  word 
to  Denonville  at  Quebec  that  he  intended  sending  two 
parties  to  the  Upper  Lakes  the  following  spring. ^^ 

Denonville  looked  upon  such  action  with  great  ap- 
prehension, and  in  one  of  his  reports  in  1686  wrote,^^ 
"If  that  detachment  attacks  that  fort  [St.  Joseph] 
.  .  .  no  more  terms  are  to  be  observed  with  the 
English.  Please  send  me  orders  on  this  point  for  I 
am  disposed  to  go  straight  to  Orange,  storm  their 
fort,  and  burn  the  whole  concern."  He  saw  nothing 
but  ruin  to  the  colony  of  New  France  if  such  expedi- 
tions were  to  continue,  for,  as  he  pointed  out,  the 
cheaper  bargains  the  English  gave,  drew  not  only  the 
Indians  to  their  side,  but  attracted  many  of  the  French 
of  the  colony  who  were  in  the  habit  of  resorting  to 
the  woods. 

The  next  spring  (1687)  the  first  party  of  English 
was  arrested  on  Lake  Huron,  and  in  June  the  second 
party  was  met  on  St.  Clair  River  and  captured.  The 
French  saw  a  commercial  motive  behind  this  en- 
croachment and  declared  that  the  whole  was  "an  in- 
trigue of  the  Orange  merchants  who  [made]  presents 
to  the  Colonel"  [Dongan].^'' 

57.  Winsor,  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  IV,  192. 

58.  A^.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  309. 

59.  Ibid.,  287,  309. 

60.  Ibid. 


42  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

Denonville  now  saw  that  a  post  at  Niagara  would 
accomplish  quite  as  much  as,  if  not  more,  than  the 
post  on  the  connecting  waters  of  Lake  Huron  and 
Erie.  He  therefore  asked  (1686)  for  two  good  bat- 
talions and  the  funds  necessary  to  build  a  post  at 
Niagara;  for,  he  writes,"  "Such  a  post  would  absolutely 
close  the  road  to  the  Outaoua  [Ottawas]  .  .  .  and 
the  English  and  place  us  [the  French]  in  a  position 
to  prevent  the  Iroquois  carrying  their  peltry  to  the 
latter." 

The  English  likewise  saw  the  need  of  a  post  at 
Niagara.  In  his  report,  February  22,  1687,  Dongan 
states  his  plans  as  follows  :^^  "To  preserve  the  beaver 
and  peltry  trade  for  Albany,  and  to  be  an  encourage- 
ment for  oiu-  beaver  hunters,  I  desire  I  may  have  an 
order  to  erect  a  company  fort  upon  the  Delaware 
River,  .  .  .  another  upon  the  Susquehanna,  .  .  . 
and  another  at  Oneigra  [Niagara]  near  the  Great 
Lakes  in  the  way  where  our  people  go  a  beaver  hunt- 
ing or  a  trading,  or  anywhere  else  where  I  shall  think 
convenient.  It  being  necessary  for  the  support  of 
trade,  maintaining  [the  maintenance  of]  a  correspon- 
dence with  further  Indians,  and  in  securing  [the  secur- 
ity of]  our  rights  in  the  country."  It  was  the  policy 
of  the  English  Government  to  make  the  colonies  self- 
supporting  as  far  as  possible,  and  Dongan  found  it 
hard  to  secure  money  for  any  of  his  undertakings. 
In  February  1688,  he  tried  again  to  stir  the  English 
Government  to  action.  He  states  that  the  Iroquois 
must  be  kept  fast  to  the  English,  "for  they  are  able 

61.  Ibid.,  278;  VI,  893. 

62.  Doc.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  I,  99. 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  43 

to  ruin  all  the  King's  colonies  in  these  parts  of  Amer- 
ica." Then  he  adds,^^  "We  m.ust  build  forts  in  the 
country  upon  the  Great  Lakes  as  the  French  do, 
otherwise,  we  lose  the  country,  the  beaver  trade,  and 
our  Indians." 

In  July  1687,  the  French  established  a  post  at 
Niagara.^*  This  was  six  months  before  Dongan  m.ade 
his  second  appeal  to  the  British  Government.  When 
he  heard  of  the  erection  of  a  post,  he  raised  such  a 
storm  of  opposition  that  the  matter  was  carried  to 
London  and  Paris.  The  result  was,  the  French  were 
requested  to  evacuate,  which  they  did  in  September 
1688.^^  The  two  nations  were  supposed  to  be  at 
peace  and  such  a  move  on  the  part  of  the  French 
seemed  to  the  English  a  violation  of  international  law. 
The  building  of  the  fort  was  clearly  an  encroachment 
on  the  territory  of  the  Iroquois,  over  which  the  Eng- 
lish exercised  a  sort  of  protectorate. 

During  King  WilHam's  War  (1689-1697)  France  and 
England  were  in  open  hostilities;  and  although  the 
appeal  to  arms  ceased  with  the  treaty  of  peace  in 
1697,  the  commercial  struggle  did  not,  and  the  British 
continued  to  plan  to  get  complete  control  of  the  trade 
of  the  western  Indians.  The  St.  Lawrence  and  Mo- 
hawk-Oneida  routes  both  lead  to  Lake  Ontario.  Rival 
parties  advancing  up  these  waterways  logically  would 
meet  at  that  Lake ;  here  is  where  one  might  expect  the 
first  clash,  but  the  Lake  is  large  and  there  were  few 
people  near  it.     Real  contact  came  only  where  the 

63.  Brodhead,  Hist,  of  State  of  N.  Y.,  II,  495. 

64.  A^.  y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  335. 

65.  Doc.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  I,  147;  Brodhead,  Hist,  of  State  of   N.  Y., 

II,  506-509. 


44  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

waterways  narrowed  down  to  a  river, — in  the  Niagara 
River.  Here,  as  the  French  rightly  thought,  was  the 
best  place  for  a  fort  to  cut  off  the  westward  advance 
of  the  English  from  Albany,  and  here  a  post  was  built ; 
only  to  be  later  abandoned.  The  next  logical  region 
of  contact  to  the  west  is  the  waterway  connecting 
Lakes  Erie  and  Huron.  Here  Fort  St.  Joseph  was 
built;  it  accomplished  its  purpose  by  checking  the 
advance  of  the  English  for  a  time,  and  then  was 
abandoned.  The  strife  becoming  more  heated,  a  new 
post  was  needed,  and  that  the  new  post  should  be 
located  on  the  lower  part  of  the  "Straits"  between 
lakes  Huron  and  Erie  was  evident  to  both  parties ;  and 
both  conceived  the  idea  at  about  the  same  time. 

Livingston  in  1699  laid  a  project  before  Lord  Bel- 
mont for  establishing  a  post  on  the  "Detroit."  Nearly 
all  the  great  trade  of  Albany  had  been  destroyed  dur- 
ing the  late  war.  The  French,  he  claimed,  had  in- 
stigated the  "Far  Indians"  to  make  war  on  the  Five 
Nations.  The  former,  therefore,  ceased  to  sell  their 
furs  to  the  Iroquois,  and  moreover  were  afraid  to  carry 
the  furs  themselves  through  Iroquois  territory  to 
Albany;  it  was  therefore  necessary  to  build  a  post  to 
the  west  of  the  Iroquois  country  and  near  the  lands 
of  the  "Far  Indians."  He  was  sure  that  when  the 
western  tribes  saw  the  plenty  and  cheapness  of  the 
goods  of  the  English,  they  would  bring  all  their  furs 
to  the  new  post  and  by  that  means  augment  the  Eng- 
Hsh  trade  tenfold.^*^  The  same  year  in  which  Living- 
ston laid  his  project  before  Lord  Belmont,  Cadillac 
was  in  France  presenting  his  proposals  to  the  Crown. 

66.    A^.  y.  Col.  Docs.,  IV,  500. 


HISTORICAL  SETTING  45 

The  next  year  (1700)  Livingston  again  presented  his 
projects,  this  time  more  earnestly;  he  pointed  out  the 
need  of  sending  traders  to  the  Indians.  He  said, 
"We  shall  never  be  able  to  rancounter  the  French 
except  we  have  a  nursery  of  Bushlopers  as  well  as 
they;"  to  effect  which,  he  considered  that  a  post  at 
"Wawyachtenok,  called  by  the  French  De  Troett," 
near  the  best  hunting  grounds,  was  necessary.  He 
describes  the  Detroit  region  as  "the  most  pleasant  and 
plentiful  inland  place  in  America  by  all  relations. 
Where  there  are  arable  lands  for  thousands  of  people, 
the  only  place  of  bever  [beaver]  hunting  .  .  .  Here 
you  have  millions  of  elk,  deer,  swans,  geese  and  all 
sorts  of  fowl."  As  to  the  strategic  importance  of 
such  a  post,  he  says,"  "Neither  would  it  be  necessary 
to  settle  farther  up  the  country  than  Wawyachtenok, 
for  all  the  Indians  would  resort  thither,  where  they 
can  come  in  ten  days  by  land  if  they  might  be  safe, 
and  then  no  great  difficulty  would  appear  in  making 
a  firme  [firm]  peace  between  them  and  the  Five 
Nations  in  spite  of  the  French."  To  make  their 
claim  to  the  Detroit  region  seciu-e,  the  English,  on 
July  14,  1701,  induced  the  Iroquois  to  deed  to  them 
all  the  land  east  and  west  of  Detroit  from  Lake  On- 
tario to  Lake  Michigan. "^^  Seven  days  later  Cadillac 
with  his  followers  landed  at  the  site  of  Detroit  and 
soon  began  the  building  of  a  fort.^^ 

67.  Ibid.,  IV,  650,  651  (April,  1700). 

68.  Ibid.,  IV,  908. 

69.  Kingsford,  Hist,  of  Canada,  II,  408. 


CHAPTER  III 

Detroit  Under  Cadillac  (1701-1710) 

T^HE  first  authentic  description  of  a  visit  to  the 
■*-  Detroit  region  by  white  men  is  by  Father  Henne- 
pin, who  in  1679  accompanied  La  Salle  on  his  way  to 
Green  Bay  in  the  "Griffin,"  the  first  vessel  on  the 
Upper  Lakes.  Few  Indians  lived  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  before  1701,  and  consequently  the  region  at- 
tracted neither  trader  nor  missionary,  both  of  whom 
sought  the  Indians  around  their  camp  fires.  More- 
over, the  Detroit  region  lay  on  the  warpath  of  the 
Iroquois,  who  made  frequent  excursions  to  the  west, 
even  to  the  prairies  of  Illinois.^ 

Father  Hennepin  describes  the  Detroit  region  as  fol- 
lows:- "The  country  between  the  two  lakes  is  well 
situated  and  the  soil  is  fertile.  The  banks  of  the 
Streight  [Strait]  are  vast  meadows  and  the  prospect  is 
terminated  with  some  hills  covered  with  vineyards. 
Trees  bear  good  fruit.  Groves  and  forests  are  so  well 
disposed  that  one  would  think  Nature  alone  could  not 
make,  without  the  help  of  art,  so  charming  a  prospect. 
That  country  is  stocked  with  stags,  wild  goats  [?], 
and  bear,  which  are  good  for  food  and  not  so  fierce 
as  in  other  countries.  Turkey-cocks  and  swans  are 
also  common.     .     .     .     The  forests  are  chiefly  made  up 

1.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  VIII,  419  (Walker). 

2.  Thwaites,  Hennepin's  A  New  Discovery,  I,  109. 


DETROIT  UNDER  CADILLAC  47 

of  walnut  trees,  chestnut  trees,  plum  trees  and  pear 
trees  [?]  loaded  with  their  own  fruits  and  vines.  There 
is  also  abundant  timber  fit  for  building;  so  those  that 
shall  be  so  happy  as  to  inhabit  that  noble  country, 
cannot  but  remember  with  gratitude  those  who  have 
discovered  the  way  by  venturing  to  sail  upon  an 
unknown  lake  for  100  (one  hundred)  leagues." 

On  a  map^  of  unknown  authorship,  published  about 
1690,  is  printed  the  following,  concerning  the  Detroit 
region:  "All  this  country  which  is  in  the  region  of 
Lake  Terocharronting  [Lake  Erie]  is  discovered  and 
explored.  The  winters  are  moderate  and  short. 
Grapes  are  in  abundance.  Savage  oxen  [buffalo],  fowls, 
and  all  sorts  of  game  are  found  in  abundance  and 
there  is  still  much  beaver." 

To  the  explorer  accustomed  to  the  thin  soils  and 
rigorotis  climate  of  the  lower  St.  Lawrence,  Detroit 
must  have  seemed  a  fruitful  region,  especially  when 
visited  in  the  summer.  Hennepin's  description  doubt- 
less is  overdrawn,  but  the  locality  had  a  strong  attrac- 
tion for  the  French  trader,  voyager,  and  settler  apart 
from  its  strategic  importance.  Hennepin  writes  that 
he  tried  to  persuade  La  Salle  to  make  a  settlement  on 
the  "charming  streight."^ 

Cadillac  was  in  command  at  Michillimackinac  from 
1694  to  1697.  It  was  while  stationed  there  that  he 
witnessed  the  ready  access  of  the  Iroquois  traders  to 
the  Upper  Lakes  along  the  connecting  waterways,  and 
conceived  the  idea  of  building  a  post  on  the  Straits 
which  should  be  a  stronghold  of  French  power,  a  check 

3.  Winsor,  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  IV,  216. 

4.  Thwaites,  Hennepin's  A  New  Discovery,  I,  109. 


48 


HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 


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DETROIT  UNDER  CADILLAC  49 

to  the  westward  advance  of  British  commercial  in- 
terests, and  a  barrier  to  the  Iroquois  on  their  western 
raids.  Trading  in  furs  without  a  license  was  prohibited 
in  New  France,  but  the  English  had  no  such  restric- 
tions, and  drew  many  of  the  French  traders  to  them. 
A  post  on  the  Straits  would  also  check  these  coureurs 
de  bois  from  carrying  their  furs  to  Albany.  His  final 
conception  was  that  it  should  be  a  colony,  a  settle- 
ment with  a  garrison,  traders,  and  farmers,  all  work- 
ing together  for  the  advancement  of  the  glory  of 
France.  About  it  he  would  collect  the  Indian  tribes, 
and  teach  them  the  ways  of  civilized  man.  There 
should  be  schools  for  the  Indian  and  white  youths,  in 
which  methods  of  agriculture  could  be  taught.  A 
regiment  of  Indian  soldiers  might  be  organized.^ 

Many  of  the  French  officials  both  in  Canada  and 
France  opposed  the  building  of  a  post  so  far  inland. 
The  king  pointed  out  that  with  the  establishment  of 
so  remote  a  post,  traffic  would  be  drawn  from  the 
settled  portions  of  the  colony  and  those  engaged  in 
the  trade  would  move  to  the  newly  established  center. 
This  would  tend  to  weaken  the  colony  on  the  lower 
St.  Lawrence.  He  thought  the  expense  for  the  upkeep 
of  the  fort  and  the  pay  of  the  soldiers  would  be  great. ^ 
Cadillac  had  anticipated  such  an  objection  by  stating  in 
his  plea  that  it  would  not  be  necessary  "to  grant  any 
concessions  at  that  place  for  fear  of  weakening  the 
colony  by  extending  it  too  much,"  and  he  hoped  to 

5.  Hubbard,  Memorials   of  a  Half  Century,   113;  Mich.  Hist. 

Colls.,  VIII,  425;  XXXIII,  42,  198  (Cadillac  Papers)  ;BviT- 
ton,  A  Sketch  of  Life  of  De  La  Motte  Cadillac,  13;  A^.  Y.  Col. 
Docs.,  IX,  812. 

6.  Kingsford,  Hist,  of  Canada,  III,  408. 

7 


60  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

conduct  affairs  such  that  the  post  would  not  be  an 
expense  to  the  Crown.'' 

The  project  was  much  debated  at  the  French  court. 
The  real  question  to  be  answered  was,  whether  the 
Indians  then  and  ultimately  were  to  be  made  sub- 
jects of  the  English  or  the  French  monarch.  The 
extension  of  the  fur  trade  constantly  was  bringing  new 
tribes  of  Indians  into  trade  relations.  Whether  the 
French  or  the  English  would  find  friends  among  these 
new  tribes  depended  on  which  party  was  the  more 
accessible.^  This  fact  decided  the  issue.  A  post  at 
Detroit  would  facilitate  the  trade  with  the  western 
Indians  and  lay  the  foundations  for  a  friendship  that 
would  make  them  the  allies  of  the  French. 

The  effectiveness  of  the  cheaper  goods  of  the  Eng- 
lish in  winning  the  friendship  of  the  Indians  must  have 
been  discussed,  for  Cadillac  and  the  Company  of  the 
Colony  of  Canada,  which  for  a  time  held  the  mono- 
poly of  trade  at  Detroit,  asked  His  Majesty  to  supply 
them  "with  powder,  lead  and  arms  for  trading  with 
the  savages,  at  the  same  price  as  he  got  them  from  the 
contractor,  so  that  by  supplying  them  to  the  savages 
cheaper  than  the  English,  they  [the  French]  might 
take  away  from  them  [the  savages]  all  incentive  to 
take  their  furs  to  that  nation."^ 

At  length  after  much  discussion,  Cadillac  was  given 
power  to  establish  his  post.  On  October  16,  1700, 
Callieres,  then  Governor  of  Canada,  wrote  to  Pontchar- 

7.  Mich.   Hist.    Colls.,    XXXIII,    42    {Cadillac  Papers);  Wis. 

Hist.  Colls.,  XVI,  218. 

8.  Winsor,  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  I,  303. 

9.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXIII,  44  {Cadillac  Papers). 


DETROIT  UNDER  CADILLAC  61 

train  as  follows  :^°  "I  shall  send  Sieur  de  la  Mott 
[Cadillac]  and  Sieur  de  Tonty  in  the  spring  to  con- 
struct a  fort  at  Detroit.  My  design  is  that  they  shall 
go  by  the  Outaouacs  River  [Ottawa  River]  in  order  to 
take  possession  of  that  post  from  the  Lake  Huron 
side,  by  that  means  avoid  the  Niagara  passage,  so  as 
not  to  give  umbrage  to  the  Iroquois  through  fear  of 
disturbing  the  peace,  luitil  I  can  speak  to  them  to 
prevent  any  alarm  that  they  might  feel  at  such  pro- 
ceedings, and  until  I  adopt  some  measure  to  facilitate 
the  communication  and  conveyance  of  necessaries  from 
this  to  that,  through  Lake  Ontario." 

Peace  having  been  made  with  the  Iroquois  on  Sep- 
tember 8,  1700,"  the  French  were  careful  not  to  do 
anything  that  would  give  them  offense.  The  Iroquois 
heard  of  the  intentions  of  the  French  to  establish  a 
post  at  Detroit,  and  complained  grievously  to  the 
Governor  of  New  France  and  also  to  the  Governor  of 
New  York.^-  Later  they  insisted  that  His  Britannic 
Majesty  apply  to  the  French  king  for  redress. ^^  In 
August,  1701,  about  one  month  after  the  arrival  of 
Cadillac  and  his  party  at  Detroit,  De  Callieres  met 
the  assembled  tribes  of  Abenaks,  Algonquians,  Hurons, 
Ottawas,  Illinois,  Miamis,  and  Iroquois.  He  pleaded 
for  peace,  explained  the  establishment  of  the  fort  at 
Detroit,  and  stated  that  it  was  his  policy  to  exclude 
the  English  from  proceeding  thither.^^ 

The  party  of  Cadillac  arrived  in  the  Detroit  River 

10.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  713. 

11.  Kingsford,  Hist,  of  Canada,  II,  398. 

12.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IV,  891. 

13.  Ibid.,  V,  633,  736. 

14.  Kingsford,  Hist,  of  Canada,  II,  402. 


52  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

on  July  24,  and  after  examining  the  river  up  and  down 
for  a  suitable  spot  on  which  to  erect  the  fort,  they 
chose  a  site  on  the  first  terrace.  Though  the  ground 
behind  was  higher,  it  was  too  far  from  the  river;  the 
location  selected  gave  the  fort  a  commanding  position. 
Palisades  were  constructed  enclosing  about  three  acres 
of  land.  On  July  26  the  foundation  of  a  church  was 
laid,  and  log  houses  soon  were  constructed. 

In  the  Paris  Documents,  it  is  claimed  that  the  party 
considered  the  building  of  the  fort  and  settlement  on 
Grosse  Isle,  some  fifteen  miles  down  the  river.  "Grand 
Island,"  they  say,^^  "is  very  fine  and  fertile  and  exten- 
sive. It  is  estimated  from  six  to  seven  leagues  in 
circumference.  There  is  an  extraordinary  quantity  of 
apple  trees  on  the  island.  .  .  .  Abundance  of  ex- 
cellent mill-stones  are  found.  .  .  .  All  around  are 
found  fine  prairies.  It  was  for  a  long  time  doubtful 
whether  Detroit  should  not  be  founded  there.  The 
cause  of  the  hesitation  was  the  apprehension  that 
timber  might  some  day  fail." 

Cadillac  brought  with  him  provisions  for  only  three 
months.  Having  arrived  too  late  for  the  planting  of 
com  and  the  sowing  of  wheat,  the  party  had  to  depend 
on  the  Indians  and  the  chase  for  food.  They  got  land 
ready  for  sowing  fall  wheat,  which  was  grown  with 
great  success.  Next  spring  soldiers  and  civiHans  were 
urged  to  plant  and  cultivate  as  much  land  as  possible. 
Supplies  for  the  Indian  trade  were  brought  from  Mont- 
real, and  the  little  settlement  was  fairly  established  by 
the  second  winter.     Burton  says,  ^*^  "What  on  July  23, 

15.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  887  {Paris  Docs.,  VII,  1718). 

16.  Burton,  Cadillac's  Village,  10. 


DETROIT  UNDER  CADILLAC  53 

1701,  was  a  wilderness,  on  the  next  day  was  a  houseless 
city  of  a  hundred  souls,  and  in  eight  month's  time 
was  a  rival  of  Montreal  and  Quebec  in  trade." 

Cadillac  did  his  best  to  gather  many  Indian  tribes 
about  him.  His  experience  with  Indian  life  at  Michilli- 
mackinac^^  had  taught  him  how  to  win  the  confidence 
of  the  savages,  and  many  came.  Burton  says  that 
during  the  winter  of  1701  and  1702  about  six  thousand 
Indians  wintered  at  Detroit. ^^ 

On  one  of  his  early  trips  to  Montreal  and  Quebec, 

17.  There  is  much  confusion  in  history  literature  of  the  Lakes 

region  concerning  the  spelHng  and  use  of  the  words  Mich- 
ilHmackinac,  Mackinac,  and  Mackinaw,  and  even  of  the 
location  of  the  post  which  so  long  bore  one  or  another  of 
these  names.  The  island  now  known  as  Mackinac  was 
during  the  French  and  English  periods  called  Michilli- 
mackinac  Island.  The  term  Michillimackinac  has  also 
been  used  for  the  region  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  island, 
on  both  sides  of  the  Straits.  Father  Marquette  in  1671 
removed  his  mission  from  La  Pointe  on  Lake  Superior  to 
St.  Ignace,  at  which  point  a  year  before  a  mission  had 
been  established.  (Thwaites,  Father  Marquette,  93,  116). 
A  mission  was  maintained  at  St.  Ignace  until  about  1706, 
when  many  of  the  French  and  Indians  withdrew  to  De- 
troit. (Bain,  Alexander  Henry's  Travels  and  Adventures , 
40;  Williams,  Early  Mackinac,  24,  26).  About  1712  or 
1714  De  Louvigny  was  sent  by  the  French  to  reestablish 
a  post  at  Michillimackinac.  He  erected  the  palisades  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Straits  at  the  site  of  the  present 
Mackinaw  City  (also  called  "old  Mackinaw").  This 
post  was  taken  by  the  British  in  1764.  In  1780  Major 
Sinclair  was  sent  to  rebuild  the  fort  at  Michillimackinac. 
He  selected  a  site  on  Michillimackinac  Island.  (Bain, 
Alex.  Henry's  Travels  and  Adventures,  39;  Williams,  Early 
Mackinac,  36,  41;  Kelton,  Annals,  133;  Schoolcraft,  Hist, 
of  Indian  Tribes  of  N.  A.,  I,  243).  The  Americans  have 
maintained  a  fort  on  the  island  since  except  for  the  short 
period  of  British  occupation  in  the  War  of  1812,  until 
recently. 

18.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIX,  237. 


54  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

Cadillac  brought  back  two  canoe-loads  of  wheat  (five 
to  ten  tons)  to  be  used  as  seed,  together  with  many 
other  kinds  of  grain,  and  the  materials  for  a  mill.^^ 
The  difficulties  of  getting  horses  and  cattle  to  Detroit 
were  great.  They  could  not  be  brought  in  the  small 
boats  commonly  used,  and  to  bring  them  by  land 
along  the  shores  of  the  Lakes  through  the  pathless 
forest  and  underbrush,  across  rivers  too  deep  to  be 
forded,  was  an  almost  superhuman  task.  However, 
Cadillac  brought  three  horses  at  an  early  date,  two 
of  which  soon  died;  for  many  years  the  survivor  was 
the  only  horse  in  the  settlement.  From  the  Paris  Arch- 
ives it  is  learned  that  in  1707  "Sieur  de  la  Motte  had 
horses  and  cattle  taken  overland."  "There  are,"  the 
report  says,^°  "already  a  small  number  of  pigs  there 
and  a  quantity  of  poultry.  Still  larger  numbers  are 
to  be  taken  this  year  together  with  some  sheep." 

The  first  large  migration  of  people  took  place  in  the 
simtmer  of  1706.  Cadillac  the  year  before  had  taken 
steps  to  have  more  complete  control  of  the  settle- 
ment. To  encourage  thrift,  make  the  settlers  more 
contented,  and  insure  the  permanence  of  the  settle- 
ment, Cadillac  granted  land  to  actual  settlers.-^  The 
first  grant  was  made  March  10,  1707,  to  Jean  Fofard, 
an  interpreter-;  others  followed.  Such  grants,  how- 
ever, were  not  in  fee  simple;  they  remained  in  posses- 
sion of  the  owner  only  as  long  as  the  land  granted  was 
cultivated.     In  reality  all  the  land  belonged  to  the 

19.  A'.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  806;  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  74. 

20.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIX,  228  (Quoted  by  Burton). 

21.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  827;  Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  Ill,  168  (Cass 

MS.). 

22.  Mitchell,  Detroit  in  Hist,  and  Commerce,  6. 


DETROIT  UNDER  CADILLAC  55 

Crown  or  to  the  seignorage.  The  feudal  system  was  in 
vogue  in  New  France  and  Cadillac  was  virtually  a 
feudal  lord.  He  owned  the  fort,  the  church,  the  grist- 
mill, the  brewery,  the  warehouse,  the  bam,  and  the 
very  fruit  trees  brought  from  France.  He  was  the 
court  of  last  resort  in  all  civil  matters.  After  1707  he 
controlled  the  privileges  of  fur  trading  and  the  grant- 
ing of  licenses  at  the  post.^^ 

In  1707  it  was  reported  that  there  were  two  hun- 
dred seventy  persons  in  the  settlement,  including 
twenty -five  families,  and  it  was  expected  that  fully 
one  hundred  more  families  would  come  the  following 
summer.^^  More  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons 
came  in  the  three  years  1707,  1708,  and  1709;  and  by 
1710  the  cultivated  farms  extended  for  six  miles  along 
the  river.^^  But  the  growth  of  the  settlement  was  rela- 
tively slow,  largely  because  there  were  few  people  in 
New  France  with  which  a  settlement  could  be  built. 
It  is  estimated  that  all  New  France  had  less  than 
fifteen  thousand  settlers  in  1700.^^  Detroit  was  in 
many  respects  a  premature  settlement.  It  was  not 
the  logical  outgrowth  of  a  migrating  people  as  were 
all  later  American  settlements  of  the  interior.  It  was 
settled  chiefly  to  aid  the  French  to  control  the  trade 
in  furs.  When  this  trade  declined  in  importance,  the 
settlement  naturally  would  decline.  The  oncoming 
tide  of  American  settlers  reached  it  before  the  fur 
trade  ceased  to  sustain  it.     Its  real  significant  growth 

23.  American  State  Papers,  Public  Lands,  I,  247. 

24.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIX,  229  (Burton). 

25.  Ibid.,  273.  _  ■ 

26.  Canadian  Yearbook,  1906,  128;  Thwaites,  France  in  America, 

26;  De  Bow's  Review,  XIII,  119. 


56  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

came  when  the  American  settlers  gave  it  a  surer  basis 
for  existence. 

The  early  growth  of  the  settlement  was  retarded  by 
other  factors.  Ecclesiastical,  civil,  and  military  offi- 
cials for  many  years  opposed  it  in  various  ways.  The 
establishment  of  a  post  at  Detroit  meant  the  abandon- 
ment of  Michillimackinac,  as  the  Indians  near  the 
latter  post  were  to  be  brought  to  Detroit,  and  the 
trade  which  had  developed  there  would  be  centered 
at  Detroit.  Many  of  the  officials  were  interested  in 
the  trade  at  Michillimackinac  and,  therefore,  opposed 
the  post  at  Detroit."  The  Jesuits  who  had  the  mis- 
sion at  Michillimackinac  opposed  the  founding  of 
Detroit  because  it  involved  the  loss  of  their  Indian 
converts  and  friends,  and  also  because  they  were 
debarred  by  Cadillac  from  settling  there. ^^ 

When  the  post  was  first  proposed  it  was  understood 
that  Cadillac  would  have  the  monopoly  of  the  trade; 
that,  undoubtedly,  was  one  of  the  motives  that  actu- 

27.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  VIII,  428   (Walker). 

28.  If  one  were  to  judge  of  the  attitude  of  the  Jesuits  at  Michil- 

limackinac from  their  correspondence  to  Cadillac,  it 
would  seem  that  they  were  heartily  in  favor  of  the  settle- 
ment at  Detroit.  Father  Carheil,  on  July  25,  1701, 
writes,  "  I  woiild  deem  it  a  pleasure  to  proceed  at  once  to 
render  you  all  the  ser\4ce  in  my  power,  did  the  state  of 
this  mission  permit  it."  On  July  28,  1701,  Father  Joseph 
Marest  writes,  "You  do  me  the  justice  of  believing  that 
I  \\dll  contribute  as  far  as  lies  in  my  power  to  the  settle- 
ment of  Detroit;  and  that  if  I  cannot  do  it  otherwise,  I 
will  do  so  at  least  by  the  feeble  aid  of  my  prayer  to  the 
Lord."  Cadillac  \\Tote  on  the  latter  of  these  two  letters 
(only  a  portion  given  above),  "Those  two  missionaries, 
ver>^  far  from  conforming  to  the  intention  of  that  letter, 
are  employing  every  means  to  prevent  the  Savages  com- 
ing here."     i\Vis.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVI,  205.) 


DETROIT  UNDER  CADILLAC  67 

ated  him  in  proposing  a  post.  But  in  1700  some  of 
the  merchants  at  Montreal  asked  for  the  exclusive 
privilege  of  trade  at  Detroit.  Cadillac,  singularly 
enough,  was  one  of  the  applicants.  The  petition  was 
granted,  and  a  corporation  called  the  company  of  the 
Colony  of  Canada  was  formed.^^  Within  five  years  the 
company  became  insolvent  and  in  1705  or  1706  sur- 
rendered the  monopoly  of  trade  to  Cadillac. 

To  the  Company  of  the  Colony  a  fort  was  not 
objectionable,  for  that  would  aid  in  collecting  furs, 
but  no  revenue  could  be  derived  from  the  farms. 
Farming  in  the  Detroit  region,  until  cheap  transporta- 
tion to  the  seaboard  was  provided,  was  unprofitable. 
The  company  therefore  opposed  the  latter  in  every 
way.  They  placed  restrictions  upon  the  number  of 
beaver  and  other  fur  bearing  animals  to  be  killed  about 
Detroit.  This  "materially  affected  every  hunter  and 
trapper  in  the  settlement  and  necessarily  disturbed 
trade  and  made  the  maintenance  of  a  comfortable 
life  uncertain  and  precarious." ^°  Cadillac  says  of  their 
attitude,  ^^  "You  may  believe  that  the  Company  has 
no  other  object  btit  to  make  money  at  this  post  and 
not  at  all  to  contribute  to  its  settlement.  It  has  no 
other  aim  but  to  have  a  warehouse  and  clerks  with  no 
officers,  troops,  nor  settlers,  caring  little  for  what  con- 
cerns the  King's  glory  and  his  service."  In  order  to 
deter  families  from  wishing  to  go  to  Detroit,  the  re- 
port was  spread  in  Lower  Canada  that  the  post  would 
be  abandoned  at  an  early  date.^^ 

29.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIX,  270  (Burton). 

30.  Ihid.,  XXIX,  226  (Burton). 

31.  Ihid.,  XXXIII,  178  (Cadillac  Papers). 

32.  Burton,  Early  Detroit,  230  (Data  from  Paris  Archives). 


58  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

The  idea  of  fomaing  agricultural  settlements  in  the 
interior  was  often  discouraged  by  the  clergy,  the  civil 
authorities,  and  the  fur  traders.  The  clergy  discour- 
aged agricultural  settlements  because  such  settlements 
might  drive  the  savages  away  from  the  missions. 
Moreover,  they  knew  that  the  savages  probably  would 
learn  the  vices  but  not  the  virtues  of  civilization. 
Their  teaching,  thereby,  would  come  to  naught. ^^  The 
civil  authorities  desired  compact  settlements  in  the 
St.  Lawrence  region.  They  wished  to  concentrate  the 
people  about  the  forts  and  posts,  in  order  the  better 
to  defend  themselves.  Stringent  laws  were  passed  to 
keep  the  traders  from  the  woods  and  to  make  the 
settlements  compact.  The  trader,  and  all  interested 
in  the  trade  in  furs,  discoviraged  agricultural  develop- 
ment, for  that  meant  the  destruction  of  the  forests  and 
the  dispersion  of  the  fur-bearing  animals.  Partly  be- 
cause of  these  things  most  of  New  France  was  kept  a 
great  game  preserve. 

Enemies  outside  New  France  were  even  more  active 
in  their  endeavors  to  defeat  the  purpose  of  the  French 
at  Detroit.  English  envoys  tried  to  induce  the  Indians 
to  remove  from  Detroit,  telling  them  that  they  would 
"furnish  them  goods  at  a  cheaper  rate  [than  the 
French]  and  do  them  every  sort  of  kindness."  They 
requested  them  to  remove  their  villages  to  the  shores 
of  Lake  Erie  and  offered  "physical  aid  in  case  the 
French  showed  any  opposition."^"* 

Vaudreuil,  now  the  Governor  of  New  France,  had 

33.  See  letter  of  Father  De  Carheil  to  the  Intendant  of  Canada, 

Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVI,  214,  on  conditions  at  Michilli- 
mackinac. 

34.  N.  Y,  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  751,  752. 


DETROIT  UNDER  CADILLAC  69 

formed  a  strong  prejudice  against  the  post  at  Detroit, 
and  wrote  to  Pontchartrain  that  the  general  consensus 
of  opinion,  even  of  the  Indians,  was  that  the  post  was 
untenable. ^^  In  1704  he  pointed  out  that  it  had  not 
prevented  the  Lakes  Indians  from  trading  with  the 
English  at  Albany;  "for  five  canoes  belonging  to 
Detroit,"  he  writes, ^^  "have  this  year  been  trading  at 
Albany." 

The  opposition  became  so  strong  and  the  statements 
regarding  the  settlement  so  conflicting,  that  Cadillac 
was  asked  to  come  to  Quebec  (1704)  to  answer  certain 
charges  against  him,  and  an  investigation  of  the  post 
was  ordered  by  the  King.  Pontchartrain  reviewed  both 
sides  of  the  controversy  somewhat  as  follows:"  "Sieur 
de  la  Motte  continues  to  be  persuaded  that  .  .  . 
this  establishment  will  have  all  the  effect  expected 
from  it.  Others  pretend  that  the  land  there  is  good 
for  nothing.  That  it  will  never  produce  anything  there 
to  feed  its  inhabitants;  that  the  only  thing  there 
is  very  poor  fishing;  and  that  the  hunting  is  between 
thirty  and  fourty  leagues  off;  and  finally  it  is  to  be 
feared  that  the  Iroquois  will  attack  that  post  without 
its  being  in  our  power  to  assist  it  and  war  will  recom- 
mence in  consequence.  The  Company  of  the  Colony 
complain  likewise  that  it  involves  them  in  an  exorbi- 
tant expense  which  is  out  of  their  power  to  sustain, 
if  it  continually  requires  them  to  convey  to  that  post 
the  supplies  necessary  for  the  support  of  the  people 
there."     It  was  contended  also  that  the  route  by  way 

35.  Ibid.,  IX,  744. 

36.  Ibid.,  763. 

37.  Ibid.,  742. 


60  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

of  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  which  now  was  used  more 
or  less,  could  not  be  kept  open.^^  De  Aigremont  was 
sent  to  make  the  investigation  in  July  1708.^^  He 
strongly  advised  the  discontinuance  of  the  post,  as 
being  prejudicial  to  Canada.  He  reported  that  the  soil 
was  not  productive — this  of  course  was  untrue.  He 
also  reported  that  even  if  the  land  were  productive, 
there  was  no  market  for  the  produce  raised,  and  the 
trade  would  never  be  useful  to  France;  that  therefore 
the  post  was  a  burden  on  the  colony  and  the  kingdom."*" 
Detroit  was  experiencing  the  troubles  common  to 
most  Canadian  undertakings;  for  greed,  jealousy,  and 
prejudice  were  rampant  throughout  all  New  France. 
Pontchartrain,  always  a  firm  friend  of  Cadillac,  con- 
sidered the  report  strongly  prejudicial  to  the  latter. 
He  censured  the  author  severely,  but  at  the  same 
time  accused  Cadillac  of  having  sordid  motives.  He 
wrote  to  De  Aigremont  as  follows:  "It  seems  to  me 
that  your  sojourn  there  was  not  long  enough  to  obtain 
a  thorough  understanding  of  it.  Besides  Sieur  de  la 
Motte  complains  that  you  did  not  confer  a  sufficient 
length  of  time  with  him  to  appreciate  the  reasons 
why  he  acted.  ...  In  a  country  like  that,  new 
maxims  are  sometimes  necessary  which  may  appear 
censurable  on  their  face,  and  be  intrinsically  good. 
Nevertheless  I  find  too  great  cupidity  in  Sieur  de  la 
Motte,  and  that  his  private  interests  in  establishing 
that  post  may  have  engaged  him  to  prefer  his  special 
advantage  to  the  general  good  of  the  Colony.     .     .     . 

38.  Ibid.,  826. 

39.  Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVI,  242. 

40.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  VIII,  437  (Walker);  Wis.  Hist.  Colls. 

XVI,  251-257. 


DETROIT  UNDER  CADILLAC  61 

His  Majesty  has  thought  best,  to  withdraw  his  troops 
from  that  place,  and  to  leave  it  to  de  la  Motte  to  do 
what  he  pleases  with  it,  without  any  other  privilege 
over  the  other  inhabitants  of  Canada."  The  reasons 
he  gave  for  withdrawing  the  troops  were,  (1)  the  great 
expense  incurred  in  the  support  of  the  garrison,  (2)  the 
difficulty  of  assisting  the  post,  should  it  be  attacked 
by  the  Iroquois,  (3)  the  bad  quality  of  the  soil,  (4)  the 
disappearance  of  the  game-hunting,  and  (5)  the  dis- 
persion of  the  people  of  Canada. ^^ 

The  troops  were  not  withdrawn,  however,  and  Bon- 
necamp,  with  less  rancor  and  pessimism  than  De 
Aigremont,  says  of  the  settlement  in  1710,^"  "Its  situa- 
tion appears  to  me  to  be  charming.  The  beautiful 
river  runs  at  the  foot  of  the  fort;  vast  plains  which 
only  ask  to  be  cultivated  extend  beyond  the  sight. 
There  is  nothing  milder  than  the  climate,  which 
scarcely  counts  two  months  of  winter.  The  products 
of  Europe  and  especially  the  grains  grow  much  better 
than  in  any  of  the  Cantons  of  France.  .  .  .  We 
should  regard  Detroit  as  one  of  the  most  important 
outposts  of  the  colony.  It  is  conveniently  situated  for 
furnishing  aid  to  Michillimackinac,  to  the  St.  Joseph, 
to  the  Bay  [Green  Bay],  to  the  Miamis,  Ouitanen,  and 
to  the  Beautiful  River,  supposing  a  settlement  be 
made  thereon.  Accordingly  we  cannot  send  too  many 
there;  but  where  shall  we  find  men  therefor,  certainly 
not  in  Canada." 

In  1710  Cadillac  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  Louisiana 

41.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  826  {Paris  Docs.,  lV)]Wts.  Hist.  Colls., 

XVI,  260. 

42.  Jesuit  Relations,  LXIX,  191  (Bonnecamp's  Relations). 


62  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

as  governor  of  that  province.  After  ten  years  the  Httle 
colony  was  still  a  mere  outpost,  far  in  advance  of  the 
civilization  it  proclaimed,  in  spite  of  the  aspirations 
and  hard  work  of  Cadillac.  The  fur  trade  nominally 
had  its  headquarters  here,  but  was  not  important 
enough  to  make  the  colony  grow.  Cadillac  had  done 
everything  he  could  to  advance  agriculture,  but  the 
chief  occupations  of  the  people  were  fishing  and  hunt- 
ing, tendencies  handed  down  to  the  French  habitant 
far  into  the  nineteenth  century.  The  farmer  had  only 
a  local  market,  and  so  there  was  little  object  in  raising 
products  much  beyond  his  own  needs.''^  In  1714, 
however,  Detroit  was  furnishing  the  Indians  at  Michilli- 
m.ackinac  with  com,  because  the  soil  at  the  latter  place 
was  too  thin  to  raise  this  staple  of  the  frontier.  Be- 
tween the  opening  of  navigation  and  October,  eight 
hundred  minots  (2400  bushels)  had  been  sent  up.'*^ 

Burton  describes  the  settlement  of  1710  substan- 
tially as  follows.  The  land  within  the  palisade  was 
two  city  blocks  in  length,  and  one  block  deep.  This 
area  was  divided  into  lots  and  garden  plots.  The 
streets  were  not  more  than  ten  or  fifteen  feet  wide, 
except  St.  Anne's,  which  was  about  twenty-five  feet 
in  width  for  most  of  its  length.  The  houses  were  built 
of  logs  eight  or  ten  inches  in  diameter,  driven  into  the 
ground,  and  cut  off  six  or  seven  feet  above  the  earth. 
The  roofs  were  made  of  small  logs  flattened  by  an  adz. 
Brick  and  mortar  also  were  used  in  building.  Some 
houses  had  brick  floors,  and  these  were  considered  so 
valuable  that  they  were  inventoried  in  the  household 

43.  Mag.  West.  Hist.,  Ill,  158. 

44.  A^.  y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  869;  Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVI,  308. 


DETROIT  UNDER  CADILLAC  63 

effects  of  their  owners.  For  windows,  skins  scraped  as 
thin  as  possible  were  used.  No  mention  is  made  of 
glass.  About  the  fort  only  a  short  distance  away  were 
the  villages  of  the  Indians. 

Hunting  was  a  pastime  as  well  as  a  means  of  getting 
a  living.  Fishing  also  must  have  been  a  pastime,  for 
the  river  was  rich  in  fish;  this  could  not  have  been  an 
industry  because  everyone  had  both  time  and  the  dis- 
position to  catch  his  own  fish. 

At  an  early  date  a  mill  was  built  to  grind  corn  and 
wheat, ^^  and  probably  it  was  propelled  by  wind.  A 
brewery  was  built  a  short  time  after  the  founding  of 
the  settlem.ent,  and  a  brewer  was  brought  to  the 
colony.  The  people  lived  within  the  palisades  and 
went  out  daily  to  work  their  farms,  some  of  which 
were  three  miles  from  the  fort.  Farming  was  a  precari- 
ous occupation,  for  the  farmer  did  not  dare  live  on 
his  property,  and  at  nightfall  when  he  returned  to  the 
fort  he  left  his  fields,  garden,  and  orchard  to  the 
ravages  of  beasts  and  savages.^®  About  1710  the  vil- 
lage that  had  grown  up  around  the  fort  began  to  be 
called  Detroit.^^ 


45.  Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVI,  252. 

46.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIX,  225,  239  (Burton). 

47.  Mag.  West.  Hist.,  Ill,  158.    For  a  list  of  early  settlers  at 

Detroit,  see  Jesuit  Relations,  LXVII,  334;  LXIX,  245, 
277,  306,  310;  LXX,  21,  77,  305,  309. 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  Detroit  Settlement  After  Cadillac 
(1710-1760) 

TN  1710  De  la  Forest  was  appointed  to  succeed  Cadil- 
"^  lac  as  commander  of  the  fort  at  Detroit,  but  on 
account  of  business  affairs  at  Quebec  he  was  unable  to 
take  charge  of  his  post  until  1712.  Dubuisson  was 
placed  in  temporary  command,  and  was  in  charge 
when  the  Fox  Indians  attacked  Detroit  in  1712. 

Unfortunately  for  the  early  growth  of  the  Detroit 
settlement,  there  were  open  hostilities  between  the 
French  and  English  from  1702  to  1713  (Queen  Anne's 
War).  Though  the  strife  was  confined  mainly  to  the 
eastern  provinces,  the  Lakes  region  was  kept  in  turmoil. 
Through  Iroquois  emissaries  the  English  made  very 
uncertain  the  hold  of  the  French  on  many  of  the  tribes 
about  the  Lakes,  especially  the  Fox  Indians.  For 
many  years  the  latter  had  been  enemies  of  the  French, 
and  their  position  along  the  Fox- Wisconsin  trade  route 
was  a  serious  menace  to  French  commerce  in  the 
region  to  the  west  of  Lake  Michigan.  The  Jesuit 
Relations  represent  these  Indians  as  maltreating  the 
French  "in  deed  and  word,  pillaging  and  robbing  them 
of  their  goods  in  spite  of-  their  resistance  and  subject- 
ing them  to  unbearable  insolence  and  indignity."^ 
Through  the  Iroquois  the  Fox  Indians  had  learned  of 

1.    Jesuit  Relations,  LV,  187. 


SETTLEMENT  AFTER  CADILLAC  65 

the  cheaper  goods  of  the  EngHsh  at  Albany  and  they 
desired  to  see  the  EngHsh  trader  enter  their  country. 
To  make  this  possible  the  fort  at  Detroit  first  must  be 
destroyed.- 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1712  one  thousand  Fox, 
Sauk,  and  Missauka  Indians,  three  hundred  warriors 
with  their  women  and  children,  appeared  at  Detroit 
and  built  a  stockade  a  few  rods  from  the  post.  In 
preparation  for  the  Indian  attack,  Dubuisson  ordered 
all  the  live  stock,  grain,  and  other  stores  taken  into 
the  fort.  Near-by  buildings  were  destroyed  lest  they 
should  give  shelter  to  the  enemy,  or  endanger  the  post 
if  fired.  The  little  garrison  of  thirty  men  determined 
to  make  the  best  defense  possible.  Fortunately  the 
Indian  allies  of  the  French  arrived  before  an  attack 
was  m.ade  and  the  besiegers  became  the  besieged. 
After  a  siege  of  nineteen  days,  the  Fox,  Sauk  and 
Missauka  Indians  made  overtures  to  surrender,  and  on 
the  refusal  of  the  French  to  treat  with  them.,  fled  to 
Grosse  Point.  The  French  and  their  allies  followed, 
and  after  a  siege  of  four  days  the  Green  Bay  Indians 
surrendered.^ 

Ever  since  the  founding  of  the  post  at  Detroit,  the 
size  of  the  garrison  had  been  decreasing.  For  the 
privilege  of  exclusive  trade  the  commandant  was 
charged  with  the  expense  of  provisions,  the  pay  of 
officers,  privates,  and  others  associated  with  the  garri- 
son, and  with  the  up-keep  of  the  mission.  This  obliga- 
tion Cadillac  had  assumed  in  1707,  and  it  was  borne 

2.  Kingsford,  Hist,  of  Canada,  II,  454. 

3.  Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVI,  267-287  (Dubuisson's  Report,  June  15, 

1112);  Ibid.,  V,  78;  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  VIII,  440,  441. 
9 


66  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

by  his  successors  for  many  years. ^  Residents  within 
the  palisades  were  required  to  pay  a  rent,  and  also  a 
small  tax  on  the  lands  they  tilled.  The  various  arti- 
sans were  allowed  to  ply  their  trade  only  providing 
they  held  a  license  from  the  commandant.  These 
were  sold  for  about  two  hundred  fifty  livres  per  year.^ 
The  larger  part  of  the  revenues  of  the  commandant 
was  derived  from  licenses  sold  to  voyageurs,  and 
traders  resident  at  the  settlement,  amounting  in  all 
to  more  than  five  thousand  livres  per  year.  The  King 
also  gave  the  powder  for  the  post  each  year,  and  the 
commandant  sold  much  of  this  to  the  French  and 
Indians.  The  revenue  from  this  latter  source  amounted 
to  about  fifteen  hundred  livres  per  year.  The  com- 
mandant, it  seems,  also  had  a  well-stocked  "Bureau," 
from  which  he  sold  wines  and  brandy  required  by  the 
Frenchmen.  This  brought  him  about  two  thousand 
livres  yearly,  and  in  addition  to  these  sources  of  in- 
come, which  in  all  amounted  to  about  8500  livres,  he 
engaged  in  trade  with  the  residents  about  the  post 
and  with  the  Indians.  His  profits  in  this  trade  were 
greater  than  those  of  others  at  the  settlement,  for 
each  trader's  canoe  brought  free  of  freight-charges  one 
hundred  pounds  of  provisions,  implements,  and  tools.^ 
The  profits  of  the  commandants  were  never  large,  how- 
ever, and  it  is  probable  that  these  officials  were  obliged 
to  keep  a  small  garrison  because  of  their  small  income. 
At  any  rate,  De  la  Forest  in  1714  sent  a  memorial  to 
the  Government  in  which  he  asked  that  the  forces  be 


4.  Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  Ill,  167  (Cass  MS.). 

5.  Ibid.,  294.     The  li\'Te  was  an  old  French  coin  worth  about  20 

cents. 

6.  Ibid.,  XVII,  293-297. 


SETTLEMENT  AFTER  CADILLAC  67 

increased;  and  to  enable  the  commandant  to  m.eet  the 
added  expense,  he  suggested  that  the  sale  of  trading 
licenses  to  the  settlers  be  abolished  and  a  complete 
monopoly  given  to  the  commandant.^  At  a  much  later 
date,  1736,  Governor  Beauhamois  doubted  whether  any 
officer  would  be  willing  to  take  the  command  of  the 
post  if  the  garrison  exceeded  thirty  men,  because  of 
the  great  expense.^ 

In  the  memorial  referred  to  in  the  preceding  para- 
graph, De  la  Forest  expressed  the  opinion  that  the 
plan  of  Cadillac  to  make  Detroit  a  place  for  settlers 
as  well  as  traders  was  impracticable,  and  asked  that 
any  further  increase  to  the  settlement  be  prohibited, 
and  the  whole  converted  into  a  military  and  trading 
post.  With  the  garrison  as  small  as  it  was  the"  settle- 
ment could  not  increase,  for  settlers  would  not  be  able 
to  improve  land  far  from  the  fort  because  of  the 
prowling  Iroquois.  Should  any  houses  be  built  out- 
side the  stockade  walls  ''they  would  be  exposed  to  be 
burnt  and  their  occupants  killed."  Even  the  Pota- 
watomi,  who  had  no  palisade  "often  [had]  alarms 
which  obHge[d]  them  to  put  their  wives  and  children 
into  the  French  fort."^  Nevertheless,  he  considered 
that  it  was  to  the  "King's  glory  and  the  interest  of  the 
colony  to  preserve  the  post,"  because  of  its  strategic 
importance.  If  it  were  abandoned,  the  English  soon 
would  render  themselves  masters,  and  would  carry  on 
the  whole  trade  with  all  the  Indian  alHes  of  France. 
The  post  was  necessary  to  prevent  the  Iroquois  from 

7.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  866. 

8.  Ibid.,  XVII,  242. 

9.  Ibid.,  IX,  868;  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  85. 


68  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

making  attacks  on  the  western  tribes,  for  such  attacks 
meant  the  disturbance  of  the  trade  in  furs.  It  was 
also  necessary  to  preserve  Detroit  as  a  source  of  food 
supply  for  the  post  at  Michillimackinac.  To  provide 
such  food,  the  Indians  should  be  prevailed  on  to 
remain  at  Detroit  to  cultivate  the  soil.  Besides  pro- 
viding food  for  Michillimackinac,  the  post  was  also  an 
advantageous  point  at  which  troops  and  provisions 
could  be  assembled  in  a  war  on  the  Iroquois. ^°  Through- 
out the  memorial  the  strong  influence  of  the  commer- 
cial spirit  that  permeated  New  France  is  shown.  No 
changes  in  the  management  of  the  fort  and  no  changes 
in  the  original  plan  of  Cadillac  were  made. 

In  1717  Tonty  was  sent  to  Detroit  as  successor  to  De 
la  Forest.  Tont}^  also  was  an  able  ofiicer  but  "avarici- 
ous and  unscrupulous  in  trade  matters. "^^  In  1726  he 
granted  the  exclusive  right  of  traffic  in  furs  to  four  of 
his  associates.  This  was  a  violation  of  the  rights  of 
the  settlers;  for,  since  the  founding  of  the  post,  they 
had  been  allowed  to  buy  licenses  to  trade  in  furs. 
Accordingly,  they  drew  up  articles  of  remonstrance, 
which  were  sent  to  the  Intendant.^-  They  stated  that 
they  had  been  done  a  great  wrong  because  they  were 
"deprived  of  the  douceurs  [comforts]  and  articles 
[they]  were  in  the  habit  of  receiving  from  the  savages 
for  the  subsistance  of  [their]  families."  Being  at  such 
a  distance  from  the  base  of  stipplies  at  Montreal  and 
Quebec,  they  could  not  as  individuals  make  the  long 
journey  to  supply  the  needs  of  their  families,  and  they 
could  not  attempt  to  purchase  goods  of  those  who  had 

10.  Ibid. 

11.  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  84. 

12.  Ibid.,SH. 


SETTLEMENT  AFTER  CADILLAC  69 

the  exclusive  trade  because  of  the  ''extreme  clearness 

and  high  prices  put  upon  the  goods  when  they  ar- 
rived."^^ 

In  reply  Gatineau,  one  of  the  associates,  accused  the 
settlers  of  being  idle  and  lazy  and  to  this  alone  could 
they  "impute  the  want  of  grain  and  provisions."  The 
lands  were  able  to  produce  abundantly,  yet  grain  was 
scarce.  Wheat  was  sold  at  twenty  to  twenty-five  livres 
the  minot,  and  com  at  fifteen  to  eighteen  livres.  Eggs 
brought  twenty  to  twenty-five  sous  per  dozen,  and  a 
cow  was  worth  one  hundred  Hvres.  These  should  be 
considered  good  prices,  and  were  the  people  inchned 
to  cultivate  their  lands  they  would  be  in  a  condition 
to  give  provisions  to  the  voyageirrs  and  Indians  at  a 
more  reasonable  rate  than  they  had  done  and  yet 
make  money. ^^  As  for  the  right  to  trade  with  the 
Indians,  he  suggested  that  if  the  settlers  had  the 
trade  they  asked  for,  they  would  neglect  the  soil,  and 
the  Crown,  then,  would  be  obhged  to  abandon  the 
post  and  all  would  leave  for  want  of  pro  visions.  ^^ 

The  remonstrance  of  the  settlers  seems  to  have  had 
no  effect  on  Tonty.  The  accusations  of  Tonty's 
associate  in  regard  to  the  character  of  the  settlers 
undoubtedly  had  some  basis  of  truth,  at  any  rate  they 
agree  in  part  with  the  characterization  of  the  French 
settler  made  by  later  writers  for  a  later  date. 

In  1728  Tonty  was  reheved  of  his  command,  and 
Boishebert  was  put  in  charge  of  the  post  and  settle- 
ment.    A  new^  era  now  seemed   to  be   dawning  for 

13.  Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  Ill,  169  (Cass  MS.). 

14.  Ihid.,  171. 

15     Ihid.,  XVI,  471.     Intendant's  letter  to  Minister,  1727,  regard- 
ing petition. 


70  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

Detroit.  Beauhamois,  the  Governor  General,  wrote  in 
1730  that  the  new  commandant  "had  nothing  more 
at  heart  than  to  induce  the  French  to  till  the  soil."^^ 
In  the  report  of  the  commandant  in  1730,  it  was 
stated  that  the  settlers  had  "sown  much  more  than 
usual"  and  it  was  expected  "the  harvest  would  be  at 
least  double  what  it  had  been  in  former  years."  In 
many  respects  he  fotmd  the  "establishment  but  little 
advanced  considering  that  it  was  commenced  over 
[nearly]  thirty  years  ago."  The  soil  and  climate  were 
good.  Anything  that  grew  in  France  could  be  pro- 
duced there.  Clearly,  Nature  was  not  at  fault.  The 
Crown  should  send  more  settlers.  He  thought  that  if 
soldiers  were  sent,  and  farms  granted  them,  they 
might  be  induced  to  stay  and  become  good  settlers. ^^ 

About  1734  Beauhamois  obtained  permission  from 
the  Crown  to  make  concessions  to  farmers,  in  addition 
to  those  granted  in  1722,  as  "an  Inducement  to  the 
Habitants  to  till  the  land  better  than  they  had  hitherto 
done."^^  These  grants  were  so  hedged  about  by  re- 
quirements and  specifications,  however,  that  when 
compared  to  the  system  under  which  the  American 
Government  later  disposed  of  its  lands,  they  seem 
foreign  indeed.  In  some  of  the  grants  "the  grantee 
was  bound  to  pay  to  the  crown  forever  a  rent  of  fifteen 
livres  per  year  in  peltries;  to  assist  in  planting  a  May- 
pole on  each  May-day  before  the  door  of  the  mansion- 
house.  He  was  forbidden  to  buy  or  sell  merchandise 
carried  to  or  from  Montreal  through  servants,  clerks, 

16.  Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVII,  141. 

17.  Ibid. 

18.  Ibid.,  264. 


SETTLEMENT  AFTER  CADILLAC  71 

or  foreigners,  to  work  at  the  business  of  blacksmith,  to 
sell  brandy  to  the  Indians,  or  to  mortgage  the  land 
without  the  consent  of  the  government.  The  Crown 
reserved  all  the  rights  of  minerals  and  timber.  .  . 
All  the  grain  raised  was  to  be  ground  at  the  manor 
windmill  where  toll  was  to  be  given  in  the  same  way 
as  in  France."  All  grants  had  to  be  confirmed  by  the 
king.^^  Under  so  many  restrictions  it  is  not  surprising 
that  few  took  up  land.  Only  six  of  these  concessions 
were  sent  to  France  for  confirmation. ^° 

In  1736,  however,  Beauharnois  was  able  to  report 
that  the  "concessions  granted  to  various  inhabitants 
for  several  years  past  have  induced  them  to  work 
more  assiduously  than  they  had  hitherto  done  in 
cultivating  the  soil,"  and  that  "in  1735  thirteen  to 
fourteen  hundred  minots  of  wheat  were  harvested," 
which,  it  was  expected,  would  be  worth  three  livres  a 
minot."^^  The  post  and  settlement  in  1736  consisted 
of  seventeen  soldiers,  forty  families,  and  eighty  men 
capable  of  bearing  arms.  Sixteen  more  concessions  had 
been  granted  to  inhabitants  who  had  made  requests.^^ 

In  the  report  for  1737  an  appeal  again  was  made  for 
more  troops,  "for  the  Crown,"  it  states,  "could  expect 
no  marked  progress  until  the  garrison  was  made 
stronger."  The  fort  needed  sixty  men  and  officers,  for 
that  was  the  only  way  to  make  the  French  and  the 
fort  "respected  by  the  Indians  [who  were]  turned 
away  by  the  cheap  goods  of  the  English  and  by  brandy." 

19.  Amer.  State  Papers,  Pub.  Lands,  I,  247;  Mag.  West.  Hist.,  IV, 

374  (Campbell). 

20.  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  92. 

21.  Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVII,  240,  241. 

22.  Ibid. 


72  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

The  writer  thought  the  soldiers  would  be  more  likely 
to  remain  permanently  than  the  voyageurs,  because, 
he  says,-^  "the  voyageirrs  are  too  busy  and  too  fond 
of  trading  to  allow  us  to  hope  of  their  settling  there 
and  devoting  themselves  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil." 

The  efforts  of  Governor  Beauharnois  and  the  able 
commandants  at  Detroit  resulted  in  enlarging  the 
settlement  and  increasing  trade.  De  Noyan,  the  com- 
mandant in  charge  in  1740,  reported  that  one  hundred 
families  could  be  counted  in  both  town  and  country,^^ 
"i.  e.,  to  say,  about  as  many  traders  as  farmers." 
Agriculture  was  not  well  developed,  for  the  small 
market  the  farmers  found  for  their  produce  compelled 
them  "to  be  content  with  harvesting  what  sufhc[ed]  for 
their  needs." 

About  this  time  the  Detroit  trade  amounted  to  from 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  to  two  hundred  thou- 
sand livres  of  fiu*  per  year.^°  In  most  years  ten  or 
twelve  licenses  were  issued  to  traders,  though  in  some 
years  fourteen  or  fifteen  canoes  came.^^  The  cost  of  a 
license  was  five  hundred  livres.^'^  There  were  many 
free  licenses.  The  missionaries,  chaplains,  interpreters, 
surgeons,  and  sub-delegates  were  given  free  permits 
for  one  and  one-half  canoes. ^^  It  appears  that  there 
were  too  many  traders  and  competition  was  so  severe 
that  the  traders  sold  much  of  their  goods  too  cheap 

23.  Ibid.,  265. 

24.  Ibid.,  357. 

25.  Ibid. 

26.  Each  canoe  could  carry  about  five  thousand  pounds. 

27.  Ibid.,  293,  294. 

28.  Ibid.,  298. 


SETTLEMENT  AFTER  CADILLAC  73 

and  many  were  not  able  to  pay  the  Montreal  mer- 
chants. The  report  states, ^^  "the  latter  have  more 
mortgages  in  Detroit  than  Detroit  is  worth." 

The  account  books  kept  at  the  Jesuit  Mission  by 
Father  de  la  Richardie  throw  much  light  on  the  busi- 
ness transactions  at  the  Detroit  settlement  during  the 
late  decades  of  the  French  regime. ^°  In  1735  La 
Richardie  collected  near  Detroit  some  of  the  dispersed 
Hurons,  to  the  number  of  six  hundred,  "all  of  whome 
he  converted,"  and  founded  the  Huron  mission  on 
the  site  of  Sandwich,  then  called  Point  de  Montreal. ^^ 
He  "chose  that  side  to  avoid  conflict  of  ecclesiastical 
jurisdiction  with  the  Recollets  in  charge  of  Detroit. "^^ 

Here,  according  to  Hubbard,  he  built  a  mission- 
house  and  a  church,  which  stood  until  about  1850. 
About  1736  he  built  a  store  and  warehouse.  The 
account  books  of  La  Richardie  show  the  business 
dealings  the  mission  had  with  the  French  habitants 
of  Detroit  and  vicinity,  and  with  the  Indians. ^^ 

29.  lUd.,  326. 

30.  See  Daybooks  and  Ledgers  of  Detroit  Merchants. 
3L     Jesuit  Relations,  LXIX,  283. 

32.     md.,  LXIX,  305. 

Z2).  Ibid.  The  following  quotations  from  the  account  books  of 
the  mission  illustrate  some  of  the  business  transactions, 
and  the  quaint  methods  of  bookkeeping  employed : 

"I  borrowed  from  sieur  parent  of  les  miamas  The 
equivalent  of  135  boards  10  feet  long;  those  that  he  lent 
me  are  15  and  12  feet.  I  am  to  return  them  as  soon  as  I 
can."     (Jesuit  Relations,  LXX,  37.) 

"I  owe  gambille's  wife  for  200  tacks  at  10  sols  a  hun- 
dred: also  the  same  for  a  pipe  with  its  tongs;  she  owe 
me  10  sols  for  the  collection  of  the  blessed  bread." 
{Ibid.,  41.) 

"I  have  received  from  Madam  La  Due  5  partridges  of 
which  she  owed  me  3  less  5  sols."     {Ibid.,  43.) 


74  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

These  dealings  seem  to  support  the  statement  made 
by  Cadillac  that  "the  priests  while  occupied  in  saving 
souls  were  most  thrifty  withall."^^ 

The  mission  soon  came  to  own  a  well-stocked  farm, 
a  store,  a  sawmill  (probably  a  "hand"  mill),  a  gristmill, 
and  a  blacksmith's  shop.  The  mission  farm  furnished 
poultry,  eggs,  butter,  beef,  and  corn  to  the  habitants. 
To  the  mission  store  the  small  trader  brought  his 
peltry  and  venison  and  took  in  return  beads,  Vermil- 
lion, lead,  awls,  and  other  goods  that  he  could  use  in 
the  Indian  trade.  Most  of  the  trade  was  by  barter. 
At  this  store  also  were  kept  kettles,  tacks,  files,  steels, 
window-glass,  knives,  awls,  lead,  pig  lead,  bullets, 
porcelain  beads,  blankets,  vermillion,  brandy  and  Por- 
tuguese wine,  mitasses,  leggings,  shirts,  hats,  porton 
thread,  Renes  thread,  cotton,  cheese,  salt,  pork,  veni- 

"I  have  lent  to  Sieur  Chapotom,  sergeon  of  this  fort, 
the  svim  of  100  Hvres  in  raccoon  and  lynx  skins,  which  he 
is  to  pay  mc  in  the  month  of  May,  1743,  in  similar  pelt- 
ries." "Taechiaten  borrowed  from  me  about  15  cas- 
tor's [beaver]  worth  of  porcelain  beads,  both  black  and 
white;  he  is  to  repay  me  in  kind  or  in  peltries."  {Ibid., 
LXIX,  249). 

"I  let  Chas.  Courtois  have  40  livres  worth  of  pork  and 
40  livres  worth  of  brandy.  The  same  owes  me  THE 
MONEY  for  4  livres  of  hide  which  Caron  delivered  to 
him  for  me;  also  the  MONEY  for  two  masses  which 
Francois  Campau  asked  me  to  say."     {Ibid.,  259.) 

Iron  was  very  scarce;  nails  were  sold  not  by  the  pound 
but  by  the  hundred.  One  record  in  the  old  account  book 
illustrates  some  of  the  transactions  in  this  useful  com- 
modity as  follows:  "I  owe  Francois  Campau  500  large 
nails,  at  45  sols  a  hundred.  I  owe  the  same  800  shingle 
nails  at  ten  sols  a  hundred,  also  200  shingle  nails  at  20 
sols;  ....  and  300  large  and  medium  sized 
nails."  (Ibid.,  249.) 
34.     Moore,  Northwest  Under  Three  Flags,  58. 


SETTLEMENT  AFTER  CADILLAC  75 

son,  beef,  cow  hides,  boards,  sawn  plank,  and  other 
articles.  ^^ 

Goods  cam.e  from  Montreal  by  way  of  Lake  Ontario 
and  Lake  Erie  in  batteaux  and  canoes,  escorted  by  one 
hundred  or  more  soldiers.  One  trip  a  year  was  made. 
The  arrival  of  the  convoy  was  a  great  occasion,  and 
served  to  close  one  fiscal  year  and  start  the  next. 

The  rate  of  wage  for  the  ordinary  laborer  seems  to 
have  been  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  one  hundred 
and  sixty  livres  per  year.^*^  In  comparison  with  the 
present,  few  occupations  were  carried  on  at  the  De- 
troit settlement  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. Father  la  Richardie  had  transactions  with 
Parent,  the  joiner;  Sieur  Delatti,  the  interpreter;  Cam- 
pau,  the  farmer;  Cauvin,  the  blacksmith;  Meloche,  the 
mill  operator;  Sieur  Varte,  the  armorer;  Sieur  Roy,  the 
voyageur;  and  others. ^^ 

In  1744  the  third  of  the  Colonial  Wars  (King 
George's)  began,  and  for  four  years  Britain  and  France 

35.  Jesuit  Relations,  LXX,  passim. 

36.  The  following  quotations  indicate  the  rate  of  wage:  "  Prisque 

has  reengaged  to  serve  for  one  year  more, — that  is  to  say, 
until  the  convoy  of  1741  comes, — for  the  sum  of  160  livres 
in  peltries,  a  shirt,  and  a  pair  of  matasses  [leggings]" 
"Advanced  to  Roy  for  clearing  the  land,  at  20  livres  an 
arpent,  2  minots  of  grain,— one  of  French  wheat  and  the 
same  of  Indian  com;  also  a  minot  and  a  half  of  Indian 
com;  also  7  livres  of  tallow,  at  10  sols  a  livre  [a  French 
pound  of  twelve  ounces],  finally  50  livres  of  flour;  also 
half  a  minot  of  wheat,  5  livres."  {Jesuit  Relations,  LXIX, 
245.) 

"To-day,  august  the  8,  1741,  Pierre  Rencontre,  a  native 
of  La  Prairie  de  la  Magdaline,  has  engaged  himself  to  me 
to  serve  for  a  year,  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  150 
livres,  which  I  am  to  pay  him  in  peltries  at  Detroit 
prices."     {Ibid.,  247.) 

37.  Ibid.,  passim. 


76  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

were  engaged  in  open  hostilities.  The  fort  built  at 
Niagara  by  the  French  in  1726,  the  second  at  this 
place,  had  much  to  do,  perhaps,  in  checking  the  ad- 
vance of  the  English  to  the  west.^^ 

But  now  the  English  traders  appeared  in  the  Ohio 
Valley  in  greater  numbers  and  began  to  compete  more 
actively  for  the  Indian  trade  in  the  territory  im- 
mediately south  of  the  Great  Lakes.  It  is  reported 
that  in  1740  over  three  hundred  crossed  the  moun- 
tains of  Pennsylvania  with  pack-horses  loaded  with 
goods  for  the  Indian  trade.  For  several  years  their 
center  of  trade  was  Pickawillany  (Pichtown,  Piqua)  on 
the  Great  Miami  River. ^^  Here  they  carried  on  their 
trade  with  the  Ohio  and  Wabash  Indians  until  about 
1750,  when  the  post  was  destroyed  by  a  body  of  French 
and  Indians  from  Detroit.  Nevertheless  they  con- 
tinued to  bring  their  pack-horses  over  the  mountains. 
A  few  went  as  far  west  as  the  country  of  the  Miamis."**^ 
They  so  undermined  French  influence  that  at  times  the 
latter  nation  had  hardly  a  tribe  in  which  it  could  place 
confidence.'^ ^  The  English  were  particularly  friendly 
with  Nicholas,  a  Huron  chief,  who  lived  near  the 
marshes  of  Sandusky  Bay.  The  Sandusky  Indians 
were  especially  insolent  to  the  French  and  unceasing 
in  their  efforts  to  gain  allies  for  the  English."*- 

In   1747  five  Frenchmen  who  were  on  their  way 

38.  Doc.  Hist.,  N.  Y.,  I,  446  {Paris  Docs.,  VII.) 

39.  Benton,  /.  H.  U.  Studies,  Series  21,  The  WabasJi  Trade  Route, 

28;  Winsor,  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  V,  571;  Moore,  North- 
west Under  Three  Flags,  S3. 

40.  A'.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  VII,  953. 

41.  Ibid.,  X,  247. 

42.  Ibid.,  138. 


SETTLEMENT  AFTER  CADILLAC  77 

from  White  River  to  Detroit  were  killed  by  some  of 
the  bands  of  Nicholas.  Shortly  afterward  a  plot  to 
destroy  the  French  at  Detroit  was  discovered.'*^  The 
arrival  of  the  Montreal  convoy  on  September  22,  1747, 
escorted  by  about  one  hundred  fifty  men,  including  the 
merchants  and  their  servants,  gave  the  little  colony 
much  peace  of  mind.^'*  The  long  distance  from  Mont- 
real, the  possibility  of  delays  in  the  frequent  handling 
of  the  goods  en  route,  the  danger  of  shipwreck,  or  of 
capture  by  English  or  Iroquois  gave  the  comman- 
dant at  Detroit  much  worry.  By  good  management 
the  Indians  were  kept  in  ignorance  of  the  real  state  of 
affairs,  and  by  diplomacy  and  show  of  force  they  were 
kept  from  making  their  attack. 

In  1748  the  Ohio  Company  was  formed,  to  settle  a 
tract  of  500,000  acres  on  the  south  side  of  the  Ohio 
River.  One  hundred  families  were  to  be  sent  within 
seven  years,  and  a  fort  was  to  be  built.^^  The  west- 
ward advance  of  the  English  settlers  stirred  the  offi- 
cials of  New  France  to  promote  emigration  to  De- 
troit. About  1748  the  Government  began  to  offer 
financial  aid  to  settlers.  Any  settler  was  offered 
gratuitously  one  spade,  one  axe,  one  plough,  one  large 
and  one  small  wagon.  Advances  were  to  be  made  for 
other  tools,  to  be  paid  for  within  two  years.  Seed 
would  be  given,  to  be  returned  at  a  third  harvest. 
The  settlers  would  be  given  a  cow  and  a  pig.  Women 
and  children  were  to  be  supported  one  year.  It  was 
to  be  understood,  however,  that  any  who  would  "give 

43.  Ibid.,  83,  84,  114. 

44.  Ibid.,  140. 

45.  Winsor,  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  V,  10. 


78  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAFHY   OF    DETROIT 

themselves  up  to  trade  instead  of  agriculture"  should 
be  "deprived  of  the  liberality  of  the  King."'^*^  These 
efforts  of  the  Government  greatly  promoted  emigra- 
tion; but  it  was  complained  that  some  "contented 
themselves  with  eating  the  rations  that  the  King  pro- 
vided. Some  of  them  even  by  their  natural  levity 
have  left  the  country  and  gone  to  seek  their  fortunes 
elsewhere. '  '"*^  About  1 749  many  emigrants  from  France 
came,  and  the  settlement  was  extended  rapidly.  The 
farms  of  the  newcomers  soon  began  to  show  appear- 
ances of  neatness  and  comfort.  Orchards  were  set  out, 
the  trees  having  been  brought  from  France.  Currant, 
apple,  pear,  cherry,  and  plum  orchards  extended  for 
miles  along  the  river  front,  and  the  settlement  became 
noted  for  its  excellent  fruit.'*^ 

Governor  la  Galissonniere  in  1750,  in  his  Memoir  on 
the  French  Colonies  in  North  America,  again  called  the 
attention  of  the  king  to  the  importance  of  the  post  and 
settlement  at  Detroit.  He  writes,^^  "This  last  men- 
tioned place  now  demands  the  greatest  attention. 
Did  it  once  contain  a  farming  population  of  a  thousand, 
^twould  feed  and  defend  all  the  rest.  Throughout  the 
whole  interior  of  Canada  it  is  the  best  adapted  locality 
for  a  town  where  all  the  trade  of  the  lakes  would  con- 
centrate; were  it  provided  with  a  good  garrison  and 
surrounded  by  a  goodly  number  of  settlers  it  would 
be  able  to  overawe  all  the  Indians  of  the  continent. 


46.  New  Eng.  Mag.,  XXIX,   199  (Keep,  quoted  from  Farmer, 

Hist,  of  Detroit). 

47.  Jesuit  Relations,  LXIX.  193. 

48.  Mag.  West.  Hist.,  IV,  375  (Campbell). 

49.  N.  Y.  Col  Docs.,  X,  230. 


SETTLEMENT  AFTER  CADILLAC  79 

It  is  sufficient  to  see  its  position  on  the  map  to  under- 
stand its  utility." 

As  a  result  of  the  endeavors  of  Governor  Galisson- 
niere  more  settlers  came  in  1750  and  1751,  advances 
having  been  made  them  by  the  Government.  They 
seem  presently  to  have  prospered,  for  in  1759  Bigot, 
the  Intendant,  reported  that  the  settlers  of  1750  and 
1751  had  taken  care  of  themselves  and  had  been  selling 
wheat  since  1754,  from  which  time  they  had  entailed 
no  expense  on  the  Crown.^°  During  the  French  and 
Indian  War  much  of  the  supplies  of  the  French  forces 
operating  along  the  Ohio  and  in  Pennsylvania  came 
from  Detroit. ^^ 

Between  1749  and  1755  the  Detroit  settlement  grew 
so  rapidly  under  the  Government  bounty  act  that  it 
was  thought  necessary  to  enlarge  and  strengthen  the 
fort.^^  This  was  done  especially  to  prepare  Detroit 
for  defense  against  the  British  and  their  Indian  allies 
in  the  struggle  that  seemed  certain  soon  to  come. 

The  French  and  Indian  War  began  with  the  seizure 
of  the  Ohio  Company's  post  at  the  forks  of  the  Ohio 
by  a  French  force  in  the  spring  of  1754.  This  war 
was  the  last  of  the  Colonial  Wars  and  the  last  armed 
struggle  between  the  English  and  French  for  the  con- 
trol of  the  Lakes  region  and  supremacy  in  North 
America.  The  English  won,  and  Major  Rogers  was 
sent  in  November,  1760,  to  receive  the  surrender  of 
Detroit. ^^  Major  Rogers  estimated  that  there  were  in 
Detroit   at   that   time  from   eighty   to   one   hundred 

50.  Ibid.,  1048. 

51.  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist.  Mich.,  108. 

52.  Ibid.,  107. 

53.  Ibid.,  109. 


80  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

families,  that  six  hundred  persons  lived  within  the 
palisades,  and  that  the  population  of  the  settlement  on 
both  sides  of  the  river  was  two  thousand  five  hundred. 
Croghan  estimated  that  there  were  three  hundred  fami- 
lies in  the  settlement  in  1764,  and  that  within  the 
stockade  there  were  eighty  houses. ^"^  After  a  century 
and  a  half  of  occupation,  all  New  France  could  boast 
of  less  than  eighty  thousand  whites,  and  these  were 
scattered  over  a  vast  territory. ^^  Kingsford  says  that 
the  settled  territory  ended  near  the  island  of  Montreal, 
and  that  with  the  exception  of  a  few  small  hamlets 
about  Fort  Frontenac  and  Fort  Niagara,  the  country 
was  a  wilderness  to  Detroit.  There  was  not  a  French 
Canadian  in  what  constitutes  the  province  of  Ontario. 
From  Montreal,  a  wearisome  journey  of  nearly  six 
hundred  miles  along  the  St.  Lawrence  and  through 
Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie  was  necessary  to  reach  the 
next  center  of  civilization  at  Detroit.  During  four  or 
five  months  of  the  winter,  travel  was  possible  only  on 
snow-shoes.  Some  settlers  were  gathered  at  the  Wa- 
bash Portage  (later  Fort  Wayne),  Ouiatanon,  Vincen- 
nes,  Kaskaskia,  Fort  Chartres,  Cahokia,  Michillimack- 
inac,  and  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  These,  however,  w^ere 
separated  from  Detroit  by  scores  and  in  some  cases 
by  hundreds  of  miles.  "A  few  thousand  souls  were 
gathered  (in  these  places)  without  schools,  removed 
from  the  world,  nursing  their  prejudices,  forming  their 
convictions  with  their  hopes  and  their  material 
wants.  "^"^ 


54.  Hinsdale,  The  Old  Northwest,  48. 

55.  Thwaites,  France  in  America,  128. 

56.  Kingsford,  Hist,  of  Canada,  V,  1. 


SETTLEMENT  AFTER  CADILLAC  81 

A  half  century  of  occupation  at  Detroit  had  made 
little  impression  on  the  wide-spreading  forests.  Clear- 
ings were  confined  to  lands  bordering  the  stream.s. 
Here,  for  eight  miles  along  the  Detroit  River,  the  colo- 
nists had  erected  their  little  whitewashed  cottages  so 
close  together  as  to  give  the  appearance  of  a  nearly 
continuous  village."  The  east  side  of  the  river  pre- 
sented a  similar  appearance. 

Near  the  center  of  the  settlement  stood  Fort  Fron- 
tenac.  It  formed  a  parallelogram,  with  a  river  front- 
age of  about  half  a  mile,  enclosed  by  a  picket  fence 
about  twenty-five  feet  high,  with  a  bastion  of  light 
artillery  at  each  corner  and  a  block-house  over  the 
main  gateway.  It  contained  a  barricade,  quarters  for 
officers,  a  council  house,  and  a  church,  and  also  en- 
closed about  one  hundred  small  houses.®^ 

A  single  road  led  along  the  river  following  all  the 
windings  of  the  shore,  avoiding  the  marshes  and 
usurping  the  higher  lands.  This  highway  met  all  the 
needs  of  the  times  for  land  communication  between  the 
parts  of  the  settlement.  Only  a  few  Indian  trails  led 
into  the  wilderness,  one  to  the  Indian  villages  on  the 
Saginaw  River  near  its  mouth,  another  westward 
across  the  Rouge  and  Huron  rivers  beyond  the  site  of 
Ypsilanti.     These  were  the  more  important  trails. 

The  river  formed  the  main  highway  of  travel — in 
summer  for  the  canoe,  in  winter  for  the  sleigh.  Roads 
could  not  be  built  in  a  heavily  wooded  country  except 
at  great  expense  and  labor,  and  when  built  they  were 

57.  Hubbard,  Mem.  of  a  Half  Century,  12;  Am.  St.  Papers,  Pub. 

Lands,  I,  264. 

58.  Kingsford,  Hist,  of  Canada,  3. 

11 


82  HISTORICAL   (JEOGRAPHV   OF    DETROIT 

out  of  use  for  several  months  each  year.  Most  of  the 
farmers  had  birch-bark  canoes  or  dugouts.  All  the 
houses  were  built  near  the  river  bank  in  order  to  be 
near  the  main  line  of  communication.  The  farms 
were  Ipng  and  narrow,  in  most  cases  extending  two 
miles  back  from  the  river,  but  only  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  rods  along  its  course.  The  need  of  mutual  pro- 
tection, together  with  the  desire  of  all  settlers  to  be 
near  the  river  highways,  determined  the  vshape  of  the 
farms.  With  the  houses  close  together,  alarms  could 
be  sent  easily  from  house  to  house.  The  houses  were 
of  hewn  logs.  Nails  ware  hand-made  and  expensive, 
consequently  few  were  used.  Many  parts  of  the  house 
were  held  together  by  wooden  pins.  For  lath,  small 
poles  were  used. 

The  house  in  most  cases  was  surrounded  by  a 
garden,  enclosed  by  a  whitewashed  picket  fence.  In 
most  yards,  near  the  house  was  an  oven  in  which  the 
family  baking  was  done.  It  resembled  a  large  bee- 
hive, and  like  the  chimney  to  the  house,  was  made  of 
sticks  plastered  with  clay.  The  household  utensils  were 
simple.  Wooden  churns,  wooden  buckets,  a  few  cop- 
per kettles  and  earthen  jars  made  up  the  larger  part  of 
the  list.  Water  was  brought  from  the  river  in  buckets 
hung  from  a  wooden  yoke.  In  the  simimer,  drinking 
water  was  kept  cool  by  pouring  it  into  jars  partly 
buried  in  the' ground.  The  washing  was  done  in  the 
river.  The  clothes  were  dipped  in  the  water,  rubbed 
with  soap  (probably  soft  soap),  and  pounded  with  a 
small  paddle  called  a  "battois." 

Like  the  houses,  the  barns  were  built  of  logs,  but 
they  were  constructed  much  more  roughly.     Much  of 


SETTLEMENT  AFTER  CADILLAC  83 

the  livestock  was  unsheltered  in  winter.  Hubbard  says 
the  ponies  "roamed  at  large  beyond  the  enclosure, 
picking  up  an  independent  Hving  by  browsing.  Even 
in  the  winter  they  seldom  received  aid,  except  what 
was  stolen  from  the  barns  or  stacks  of  their  masters. "^^ 

Behind  the  barns  stretched  the  fields  of  corn,  wheat, 
beans,  barley,  oats,  potatoes,  and  buckwheat.  A  small 
part  of  the  farm  was  devoted  to  a  well-kept  orchard, 
and  the  back  part  commonly  was  given  over  to  pas- 
tures or  a  wood  lot.  Since  grain  could  not  be  ex- 
ported profitably,  only  enough  was  produced  to  meet 
local  needs. '^^ 

Ferris,  speaking  of  the  French  farmers  at  Detroit, 
says,^^  "They  were  extremely  ignorant  and  most  miser- 
able cultivators  of  the  soil.  The  French  Canadian 
seemed  to  have  no  idea  of  improvement  in  agricul- 
ture. They  continued  to  plow,  sow,  and  reap  just  as 
their  fathers  had  done  time  out  of  mind.  Whenever 
a  field  had  become  exhausted  it  was  abandoned.  In- 
stead of  striving  to  enrich  the  land  the  people  trusted 
to  the  efficacy  of  prayer  and  threw  the  manure  into 
the  river." 

Industries  were  mainly  in  the  "household  stage"  of 
development.  As  the  settlement  increased  in  size, 
however,  skilled  artisans  came.  Before  1 749  the  quarry 
on  Stoney  Island  was  worked.  The  settlers  probably 
burned  lime.  The  waters  of  the  Savoyard  River  fur- 
nished power  for  gristmills.     One  ingenious  French- 

59.  Hubbard,  Mem.  of  a  Half  Century,  124. 

60.  Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  VIII,  294;  Mag.  West.  Hist.,  IV,  376;  Hub- 

bard, Mem.  of  a  Half  Century,  125;  Am.  St.  Papers,  Pub. 
Lands,  I,  264. 

61.  Ferris,  States  and  Terr,  of  Great  West,  76. 


84  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

man  devised  a  mill  to  be  run  by  the  current  of  the 
Detroit  River,  but  it  is  said  not  to  have  been  a  suc- 
cess. There  were  windmills  on  every  point  and  head- 
land. 

An  English  official  says  of  the  educational  attain- 
ments of  the  settlers  of  this  time,^-  "They  were  wholly 
illiterate,  and  if  we  except  five  or  six  Canadian  farm- 
ers .  .  .  there  will  not  be  found  twenty  persons, 
nor  perhaps  one-half  that  number,  who  have  the  least 
pretensions  to  education  or  can  even  write  their  name 
or  know  the  letters  of  a  book." 

The  easy  conditions  of  existence,  isolation  from  the 
markets  of  the  world,  lack  of  schools,  a  paternal  gov- 
ernment, and  devotion  to  the  Church  helped  to  de- 
velop distinctive  characteristics  among  the  people.  In 
many  ways  the  French  at  the  Illinois  settlements  had 
the  same  traits,  for  their  heredity  and  environment 
were  very  similar.  Many  of  the  French  at  Detroit 
and  in  the  Illinois  region  were  of  a  different  class 
from  most  of  those  at  Montreal  and  Quebec.  Many 
peasants  from  Normandy  and  Picardy  had  come  to 
the  inland  settlements.  At  Montreal  and  Quebec  many 
were  of  the  ''noblesse-''  they  were  in  general  dissolute, 
lazy,  and  shiftless,  and  had  come  to  New  France  to 
retrieve  their  fortunes  or  to  win  glory  that  should 
place  them  in  the  court's  favor.^^ 

62.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XI,  642  (Robertson). 

63.  Utley  and  Cutcheon,  Mich,  as  Prov.,  Terr,  and  State,  1,  313. 


CHAPTER  V 

Detroit  Under  the  British 

(1760-1796) 

/^N  September  8,  1760,  M.  de  Vaudreuil,  Governor 
^^  General  of  Canada,  surrendered  Montreal  to 
General  Amherst.  This  was  the  last  stronghold  of  the 
French.  Early  in  September,  1760,  Rogers  was  sent 
from  Montreal  with  a  force  of  two  hundred  men  in 
whale-boats  to  take  possession  of  Detroit  and  Michilli- 
mackinac  and  to  administer  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  inhabitants.^  He  reached  Detroit,  November  29, 
having  been  nearly  three  months  on  the  journey.  The 
French  commandant,  perceiving  that  resistance  would 
be  futile,  surrendered  the  post.  Four  detachments 
from  Detroit  were  sent  to  take  Miami  on  the  Maumee 
River,  and  Ouiatanon.  The  next  year  Michillimack- 
inac,  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  and  St.  Joseph  were  occupied 
by  the  British. 

Many  Indian  tribes  in  the  Lakes  region  had  assisted 
the  French  in  the  late  war,  and  continued  to  look  on 
them  as  their  friends.  They  would  have  been  glad  to 
see  the  country  restored  to  French  control,  a  hope 
much  entertained  by  many  of  the  French  in  the  Indian 
country.  In  1763  a  plan  was  communicated  to  the 
French  Government  whereby  an  insurrection  was  to 

1.    N.Y.  Col.  Docs.,  VII,  959. 


86  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

recapture   New   France;   but   there   were   no   French 
officers  in  America  to  carry  out  the  plans. ^ 

There  were  several  reasons  why  the  Indian  friends 
of  the  French  came  to  oppose  the  English.  Many 
things  had  occurred  to  spread  the  belief  among  the 
Indians  that  the  English  had  intended  to  deprive 
them  of  their  lands.  People  from  the  colony  of  Con- 
necticut had  attempted  to  force  the  Indians  to  grant 
lands  to  them  on  the  Susquehanna  River.  The  New 
Englanders  moved  there  and  declared  they  would 
maintain  possession,  and  there  they  remained  until  the 
beginning  of  the  French  and  Indian  War.^  In  western 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  the  British-American  set- 
tlers were  encroaching  on  the  Indian  lands.  The  Ohio 
Company  of  1748  had  made  settlements  on  the  Monon- 
gahela.  Immediately  after  the  French  and  Indian 
War,  many  traders  sought  leases  of  land  about  "the 
carrying  places,"  whereby  they  might  reap  a  profit 
from  the  traffic  in  furs  which  must  necessarily  pass 
that  way.  For  years  some  of  the  Indian  tribes  had 
controlled  the  transfer  of  goods  at  these  carrying 
places,  and  as  Johnson  says  "this  fell  severely  upon 
those  natives."'*  Public  advertisements,  the  news  of 
which  soon  circulated  among  the  Indian  tribes,  ap- 
peared concerning  a  colony  which  was  to  settle  a  large 
tract  of  land  along  the  Ohio  River.  The  colony  was 
to  march  there  in  two  divisions  and  take  and  hold  the 
territory  by  force. ^  The  Indians  had  been  quite  will- 
ing to  receive  the  British  when  their  intercourse  was 

2.  Ibid.,  X,  1157. 

3.  Ibid.,  VII,  962  (Johnson). 

4.  Ibid.,  959. 

5.  Ibid. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  87 

merely  for  trade,  but  now  that  the  British  were  com- 
ing to  take  their  lands  many  of  the  tribes  turned 
against  them. 

The  French  had  been  very  liberal  in  their  presents 
to  the  Indians,  and  the  Indians  had  come  to  expect 
this  as  an  indication  of  good  will  towards  them.  The 
British  officials  when  they  took  over  the  Indian  affairs 
were  ordered  to  discontinue,  or  reduce  to  the  sm.allest 
amount  possible,  this  costly  practice.^  Many  presents 
sent  to  the  Indians  were  appropriated  by  the  dishonest 
officials  and  sold  to  the  Indians  at  prices  suitable  to 
the  officials.  This  policy,  so  unlike  that  of  the  French, 
was  not  at  all  conducive  to  the  development  of  friendly 
relations  with  the  Indians. 

Following  the  acquisition  of  the  Lakes  region  by  the 
British,  many  traders  entered  the  district.  Johnson 
reported  that  "Sundry  persons  from  his  Majesty's 
dominion,  induced  by  favorable  accounts  and  agreeable 
prospects  of  advantage"  came  to  engage  in  Indian 
trade. '^  These  were  mostly  Dutch,  but  some  English 
traders  also  came,  to  whom  Johnson  refers  with  much 
bitterness  in  his  review  of  1767.  He  cites  many  in- 
stances of  the  mischief  done  by  these  greedy  and 
unscrupulous  adventurers,  who  cheated  and  deceived 
the  Indians,  and  made  all  Englishmen  obnoxious  to 
the  savages.  So  detrimental  to  British  interests  were 
these  traders  that  Johnson  was  sent  to  Detroit  in  1761 
and  given  power  to  take  any  measures  he  saw  fit  to 
correct  the  abuses.^ 


6.  Ibid.,  VIII,  56. 

7.  Ibid.,  VII,  961. 

8.  Ibid.,  727. 


88  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

The  English  were  weak  in  the  Lakes  region  in  1763. 
No  time  had  elapsed  since  the  Territory  had  come  into 
British  possession,  for  the  settlements  to  receive  any 
acquisition  of  people  from  the  colonies  on  the  seaboard. 
The  long  time  necessary  for  an  expeditionary  force  to 
traverse  the  distance  from  Montreal  to  the  Lakes 
region,  as  shown  by  the  slow  movement  of  Rogers' 
party,  made  the  position  of  the  British  perilous  in  the 
extreme.^ 

The  pent-up  feelings  of  hostility  among  the  Indians 
needed  little  to  stir  them  to  action.  Their  hostility 
became  open  when,  in  1763,  they  heard  that  England 
and  Spain  were  at  war,  that  a  French  fleet  was  waiting 
at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  assist  Spain,  and 
that  the  French  in  the  Illinois  region  would  send 
them  aid.^°  In  all  this  opposition  to  the  British,  the 
leader  was  Pontiac,  chief  of  the  Ottawas.  He  was  at 
the  head  of  a  loose  confederacy  of  Ottawas,  Chippewas, 
Potawatomis,  and  other  tribes.  He  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that,  with  the  extension  of  English  power  in 
the  interior,  the  security  of  his  people  was  threatened, 
and,  unless  the  English  were  checked,  he  and  his 
people  must  ultimately  be  driven  from  their  forest 
homes.  The  time  to  strike,  therefore,  was  before  the 
English  became  numerous  in  the  Lakes  region.  The 
British  posts  on  the  frontier  were  to  be  attacked 
secretly  and  simultaneously  in  early  May  1763.  The 
attempt  against  Detroit,  the  most  important  and  most 
commanding,  was  to  be  undertaken  by  Pontiac  him- 
self.    Sandusky,  St.  Joseph,  Miami,  Ouiatanon,  Pres- 

9.     Sec  Lccs.  Journal  of  John  Lees  of  Quebec,  Merchant. 
10.     Kingsford,  Hist,  of  Canada,  V,  11. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  89 

que  Isle,  LeBoeuf,  Venango,  and  Mackinac,  all  fell  to 
the  savages.  The  frontiers  were  depopulated,  the  out- 
posts with  most  of  the  garrisons  destroyed,  and  the 
trade  ruined.  All  the  traders  at  the  captured  posts 
and  much  the  greater  part  of  those  who  were  on  their 
way  with  cargoes  were  plundered,  and  many  were 
murdered.  ^^ 

Detroit  alone  held  out.  But  for  the  communication 
with  Niagara,  kept  open  by  vessels  and  large  fleets  of 
batteaux  on  Lake  Erie  and  Detroit  River,  the  garrison 
probably  would  have  been  obliged  to  surrender.  Even 
with  water  transportation  the  line  of  communication 
was  kept  intact  only  with  difficulty.  On  the  open  lake 
the  vessels  and  batteaux  were  rarely  molested,  and 
escape  was  easy;  in  the  Detroit  River,  however,  with 
its  numerous  marshy  or  wooded  islands,  behind  which 
the  Indians  lurked  ready  for  sudden  attacks,  and  its 
strong  current,  against  which  the  oarsmen  of  the 
batteaux  must  pull  and  the  large  vessels  be  pushed 
by  the  wind,  the  Indians  made  their  attacks.  At  one 
time  an  attempt  was  made  to  burn  the  vessels  at 
anchor  off  Detroit  by  sending  fire  rafts  downstream 
by  aid  of  the  current.  On  one  of  its  trips  the  Gladwin 
was  becalmed  in  the  lower  Detroit  River  and  escaped 
capture  only  by  the  strategy  of  one  of  the  officers. ^^ 

On  May  20,  1763,  a  convoy  with  ten  batteaux  of 
provisions  and  ammunition  was  attacked  within  sight 
of  the  fort  at  Detroit,  and  eight  of  the  batteaux  cap- 
tured. About  one  month  later,  June  30,  the  Gladwin 
landed  fifty  men  with  provisions  and  ammunition,  and 

11.  N.Y.  Col,  Docs.,  VII,  962  (Johnson). 

12.  Moore,  The  Northwest  Under  Three  Flags,  135. 


90  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

on  the  29th  of  July  Captain  Dalyell,  with  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty  men  in  batteaux,  reached  Detroit  and 
raised  the  siege.^^ 

The  lack  of  success  in  taking  the  most  important  of 
the  posts  of  the  Great  Lakes  discouraged  some  of  the 
tribes,  and,  by  October,  Pontiac  saw  the  futility  of 
holding  out  any  longer  and  sued  for  peace.  The  am- 
munition of  the  Indians  was  becoming  exhausted.  If 
they  should  continue  they  would  not  have  enough  for 
their  hunting,  "which  at  that  season  became  necessary 
for  their  sustenance."  That  they  sued  for  peace  was 
very  fortunate  for  the  garrison  at  Detroit,  for  by 
"reason  of  many  misfortunes  in  their  supplies  they 
would  soon  have  been  reduced  to  the  necessity  of 
abandoning  the  fort."^^  To  bring  the  Indians  to  com- 
plete submission  it  was  suggested  that  all  trade  between 
the  British  and  Indians  be  prohibited  for  the  summer. 
By  so  doing  it  was  believed  the  Indians  would  "more 
effectually  feel  the  necessity"  of  British  friendship  for 
subsistence.-^^ 

That  the  French  were  the  real  instigators  of  the 
hostility  of  the  Indians  was  believed  by  all  the  British 
officials.  Golden  states  that  the  Vicar  General  and 
St.  Luke  le  Com  were  the  leading  spirits;  and  that  the 
Indians  said  they  had  secured  a  large  supply  of  am- 
mimition  from  Lower  Canada  by  way  of  the  Ottawa 
River  in  order  to  avoid  all  the  British  posts.^^  Glad- 
win in  a  letter  to  Amherst  wrote  that  the  French  were 
at  the  bottom  of  the  affair  "in  order  to  ruin  the  British 


13.  Ibid. 

14.  .V.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  VII,  594  (Golden  to  Earl  of  Halifax). 

15.  A',  r.  Hist.  Col.  for  1876,  274  (Golden). 

16.  Ibid.,  269. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  91 

merchants  and  engross  the  Indian  trade  to  them- 
selves."^^ The  peripheral  position  of  the  Lakes  region, 
far  from  the  seat  of  strong  military  power,  was  un- 
doubtedly a  vital  factor  in  enabling  the  French  to 
make  these  attempts  at  stirring  up  disaffection. 

Pontiac's  war  showed  the  necessity  of  a  better  con- 
trol of  the  posts,  and  a  change  of  pohcy  towards  the 
Indians.  Croghan  was  sent  to  take  possession  of  Illi- 
nois. He  called  a  great  conference  to  meet  at  Detroit. 
Here  the  Indian  confederacy  was  dissolved  and  the 
discontent  of  the  Indians  in  regard  to  many  questions 
was  settled. ^^ 

To  quiet  the  Indians  in  regard  to  the  land  question, 
a  Royal  proclamation  was  issued  in  October,  1763, 
decreeing  that  warrants  to  land  beyond  the  head- 
waters of  the  Atlantic  rivers  were  strictly  forbidden. 
Settlements  could  not  be  made  thereon  unless  such 
lands  were  obtained  through  the  proper  crown  officials. 
According  to  this  policy  the  whole  region  west  of  the 
Appalachian  ranges  would  be  left  a  wilderness  and  a 
game  preserve.  The  statesmen  of  the  time  thought  it 
was  to  the  interest  of  the  British  at  home  to  make 
America  a  sole  market  for  their  goods.  They  were 
shortsighted  enough  to  think  that  it  would  be  more 
advantageous  to  keep  the  region  drained  by  the  St. 
Lawrence  a  wilderness,  in  which  the  trade  in  furs  and 
peltries  would  be  developed,  than  to  open  it  up  to  the 
on-coming  settlers  by  buying  the  land  from  the  Indians 
and  regulating  its  settlement.  What  would  be  best  for 
America  was  not  considered.     Colonies  should  be  man- 


17.  Kingsford,  Hist,  of  Canada,  V.  322. 

18.  A^.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  VII,  765-766. 


92  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

aged  for  the  benefit  of  the  mother  country  alone. 
They  feared  that  settlements  here  presently  would 
manufacture  their  own  goods  and  that  English  manu- 
facturers accordingly  would  lose  their  market.  Many 
of  the  w^hites,  however,  considered  the  land  decree  as 
a  mere  subterfuge.  It  had  little  effect  in  holding  back 
the  frontier  along  the  Ohio,  though  it  did  check  for  a 
time  the  coming  of  settlers  to  Detroit  and  the  Lakes 
region. 

The  proclamation  noted  above  had  little  effect  on 
the  Indians,  the  sentiment  of  all  the  nations  with 
regard  to  the  British  remaining  much  the  sam.e. 
Johnston  wrote  in  1767,^^  "They  entertain  a  very 
slender  opinion  of  our  faith  and  security,  they  are  to 
the  last  degree  jealous  of  our  designs." 

After  the  siege  of  Detroit,  the  British  Government 
saw  that  the  post  there  and  at  Michillimackinac  should 
be  continued  and  properly  supported  in  order  to  keep 
its  hold  on  the  Indian  trade.  And  in  1768  when 
orders  came  from  Great  Britain  to  reduce  the  forces 
at  all  posts  in  the  interior,  except  at  those  absolutely 
necessary  "for  public  safety  in  general  and  for  giving 
protection  and  facility  to  the  commerce  of  [British] 
subjects,"  the  posts  at  Detroit,  Michillimackinac,  and 
Niagara  were  retained.^"  The  post  at  Detroit,  in  the 
center  of  Indian  commerce,  was  considered  to  be  "by 
far  the  most  important  object,  not  being  confined 
merely  to  the  commerce  of  any  particular  colony,  but 
embracing  every  advantage  upon  which  the  safety  and 
extension  of  Indian  commerce  depended. "^^ 

19.  Ibid.,  VII,  966. 

20.  Ibid.,  VIII,  56. 

21.  Ibid.,  VI,  26. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  93 

For  many  years  after  the  British  assumed  control  of 
the  Lakes  region  the  population  of  Detroit  was  less 
than  before  their  conquest.  St.  Louis  was  founded  as 
a  trading  post  in  the  early  spring  of  1764,  by  Maxent, 
LaClede  and  Company  of  New  Orleans.  The  Spanish 
governor  at  St.  Louis  made  special  inducements  to  the 
French  of  Detroit  and  the  Illinois  settlements  to  come 
to  the  west  side  of  the  river  into  the  territory  of  the 
newly  founded  government.  A  large  number  of  French 
accepted  the  offer,  and  it  was  from  St.  Louis  and  the 
near-by  settlements  that  many  of  the  attempts  were 
made  to  alienate  the  Indians  from  the  British  by 
offering  the  red  men  free  commerce  and  hunting 
grounds.  These  attempts  were  branded  by  British 
officials  as  ''pernicious  to  British  [commercial]  inter- 
ests and  the  safety  of  the  colonies."--  Many  French, 
however,  remained  at  Detroit,  and  so  the  settlement, 
though  controlled  by  the  English,  remained  for  many 
years  essentially  French.  Accustomed  to  a  paternal- 
istic government,  without  political  and  almost  without 
civil  rights,  most  of  the  French  did  not  find  the  mili- 
tary government  of  the  British  irksome.  Detroit  was 
really  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Governor  General 
of  Canada,  but  because  of  the  great  distance  from  the 
seat  of  government  and  the  complete  isolation  of  the 
place,  the  military  officers  in  command  exercised  civil 
and  political,  as  well  as  military  supervision.-^ 

Until  the  Quebec  Act  was  passed  in  1774,  the  com- 
mon law  of  England  was  the  recognized  law  of  all 
Canada.^*     But  the  peaceful  French  Canadians  knew 

22.  A^.  Y.  Hist.  Col.  for  1876,  274. 

23.  Mick.  Hist.  Colls.,  Ill,  15  (Walker). 

24.  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist.  Mich.,  132. 


94  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

little  of  this  and  cared  less.  Under  the  Quebec  Act, 
the  French  in  America  were  given  many  advantages 
not  bestowed  on  British  subjects.  The  entire  country 
north  of  the  Ohio  and  east  of  the  Mississippi  was  in- 
corporated into  the  Province  of  Quebec.  The  laws  of 
Canada  as  they  had  been  enforced  before  the  conquest 
were  made  the  rule  in  civil  affairs,  while  the  English 
law  was  to  be  used  in  criminal  cases.  Many  English 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  Detroit  objected  to  this 
Act,  claiming  that  it  "was  contrived  and  really  in- 
tended to  retard  settlement  in  the  colony  [at  Detroit] 
and  discourage  Englishmen  from  going  there,  by 
depriving  them  of  the  benefits  of  English  law."-^ 

The  British,  in  the  Lakes  region,  were  interested  in 
little  more  than  securing  military  defence  and  the 
control  of  the  fur  trade.  There  was  a  general  lack  of 
geographic  knowledge  of  the  Lakes  region  on  the  part 
of  various  officers  in  charge  of  the  province,  and  they 
had  little  idea  of  the  needs  and  possibilities  of  the 
settlement.  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  Governor  of  Canada, 
was  asked  before  the  House  of  Commons  in  1774  if 
^  Detroit  and  Michigan  were  under  his  government. 
He  replied,  "Detroit  is  not  but  Michigan  is."^^  Mr. 
Lymbruner,  agent  of  the  Province  of  Canada,  in  1763 
said  that  the  obstacles  to  the  growth  of  Detroit  were 
such  that  they  "must  greatly  impede  the  progress  of 
the  settlement  for  years  to  come."^" 

Turning  from  these  gloomy  aspects  of  the  situation, 
we  find  that  some  officials  were  interested  in  the  settle- 


25.  Ibid.,  154. 

26.  Coolev,  Michigan,  76. 

27.  Mich.' Hist.  Colls.,  XXXVIII,  550  (Fuller). 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  95 

ment,  and  that  some  attempts  were  made  to  induce 
British  settlers  to  migrate  to  the  ''Straits."  It  was 
suggested  by  Golden  in  his  report  of  1764  that  Indian 
lands  be  purchased  at  the  various  posts  sufficient  for  a 
few  farmers  to  raise  provisions  for  the  garrison.  Trade 
under  British  supervision  had  been  made  open  and 
free  to  all.  Licenses  were  required,  but  were  issued 
to  any  one  who  gave  security. ^^  Under  such  freedom, 
fur-trading  became  profitable,  and  many  farms  were 
neglected.  This  made  it  necessary  to  carry  provisions 
to  the  post  at  Detroit  from  the  settlements  in  the 
East,  making  the  support  of  the  garrison  a  great 
expense  to  the  Crown.  "At  present,"  Golden  stated, ^'^ 
"there  are  a  sufficient  number  of  new  subjects, 
about  four  hundred  men,  at  Detroit  who  have  culti- 
vated farms  and  raise  wheat.  In  order  to  make  them 
more  industrious  in  farming,  they  should  be  pro- 
hibited to  trade  with  the  Indians  or  to  keep  goods  or 
spirituous  liquors  in  the  house  for  trade." 

Not  until  1768  did  the  forming  of  inland  colonies 
receive  serious  consideration  by  the  English  Govern- 
ment. Before  that  time  Detroit  was  looked  upon 
merely  as  a  post  necessary  to  hold  possession  of  the 
country  and  aid  in  the  fur  trade.  Propositions  in 
1768  were  made  to  the  Lords  of  Trade  to  establish 
and  maintain  three  English  colonies  in  the  Interior,  one 
at  Detroit,  one  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  River,  and 
another  in  the  Illinois  country.  The  Lords  of  Trade 
replied, ^^  "The  proposition  of  forming  inland  colonies 

28.    A^.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  VII,  837. 

30.  N.  Y.  Hist.  Col.  for  1876,  381. 

31.  A'.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  VI,  27. 


96  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

in  America,  is,  we  humbly  conceive,  entirely  new;  it 
adopts  principles  in  respect  to  American  settlements 
different  from  what  has  hitherto  been  the  policy  of 
this  kingdom,  and  leads  to  a  system  which  if  pursued 
through  all  its  consequences,  is  in  the  present  state  of 
this  country  of  great  importance."  Although  nothing 
definite  was  done  by  the  Government  to  bring  many 
people  to  the  West,  there  was  a  slow  increase  in  popiila- 
tion.  After  a  time  the  King's  proclamation  prohibit- 
ing further  settlement  in  the  interior  received  no 
attention  whatever.  Since  Pontiac's  War  the  settlers 
had  not  been  disturbed  by  the  Indians.  Many  farm- 
ers who  had  been  living  in  the  fort  were  now  dwelling 
on  their  estates.  Inventories  show  that  dom.estic  ani- 
mals were  abundant.  A  census  taken  in  1773,  prob- 
ably an  estimate,  showed  1,282  whites  (soldiers  not 
included)  and  eighty-five  slaves.^-  This  is  about  half 
the  nimaber  ascribed  to  the  settlement  by  Rogers  in 
1760. 

The  British  Government  at  the  beginning  of  the 
American  Revolution  was  represented  at  Detroit  by 
Henry  Hamilton.  Most  of  the  French  settlers  there 
were  loyal  to  the  British.  They  had  never  been  on 
intimate  relations  with  the  American  colonists,  and  had 
never  known  what  the  enjoyment  of  civil  rights  was. 
They  had  never  experienced  the  longings  for  political 
liberty  so  characteristic  of  the  Anglo-Saxon.  They 
had  not  felt  that  British  rule  was  irksome  during  the 
short  time  they  had  lived  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
English  King.     The  Quebec  Act,  as  previously  stated, 

32.     Mag.  West.  Hist.,  Ill,  272. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  97 

had  given  them  more  Hberty  than  was  possessed  by  the 
British  in  the  same  region. 

Next  to  Quebec  and  Montreal,  Detroit  was  the  most 
important  settlement  in  all  Canada.  It  commanded 
all  the  Upper  Lakes.  It  was  visited  by  most  Indians 
of  the  Lakes  region,  and  had  means  of  communication 
with  the  various  Indian  tribes  not  possessed  by  any 
other  post.  It  had  comparatively  easy  connection  with 
Quebec  and  Montreal,  and  was  on  the  line  of  com- 
munication between  the  Upper  Lakes  and  these  bases 
of  trade;  and  as  long  as  the  Iroquois  and  the  Indians 
of  Ohio  remained  loyal  to  the  British  cause,  it  was 
safe  from  attack  by  the  Americans.  Detroit,  there- 
fore, was  the  natural  and  convenient  point  from 
which  to  start  parties  to  harass  the  American  fron- 
tier. 

Indian  troubles  in  the  region  between  Detroit  and 
the  American  frontier  had  begun  even  before  the 
opening  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  In  1774  parties  of 
"land  lookers"  got  in  trouble  with  the  tribes  in  Ohio, 
and  war  was  begun.  The  killing  of  Chief  Logan  and 
his  family  was  the  immediate  cause  of  savage  hostili- 
ties. This  resulted  in  Dunmore's  War,  in  which  the 
Indians  were  defeated. ^^  Though  a  treaty  was  made, 
the  Indians  continued  their  hostilities.  The  year  1777 
was  distinguished  for  the  activities  of  the  Indians. 
Many  Kentucky  settlements  were  attacked.  In  July 
Hamilton  reported  he  had  sent  out  fifteen  parties  from 
Detroit  to  raid  the  American  frontier.^*  In  1778  an 
attack  was  made  on  Wheeling  by  two  or  three  hun- 

33.  Winsor,  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  VI,  799-813. 

34.  Cooley,  Michigan,  92. 

13 


98  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

dred  Indians,  accompanied  by  a  party  of  Detroit 
Rangers  carrying  British  colors. ^^ 

To  put  a  stop  to  these  depredations,  an  expedition 
was  planned  to  take  the  British  posts  in  the  West. 
Clark  saw  that  as  long  as  the  British  held  Detroit, 
Vincennes,  and  Kaskaskia,  the  American  border  would 
be  in  danger  of  attack.  His  success  in  taking  the 
posts  in  the  Illinois  country  and  holding  them  until 
the  close  of  the  Revolution,  won  the  whole  Northwest 
to  the  United  States.  Detroit  was  saved  from  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  Americans  at  this  time  only 
through  lack  of  American  soldiers.  Many  attempts 
were  made  on  the  part  of  Jefferson,  then  Governor  of 
Virginia,  and  Washington  to  organize  an  expedition 
against  Detroit.  December  28,  1780,  Washington 
wrote  to  Jefferson  as  follows  :^^  "I  have  ever  been  of 
the  opinion  that  the  reduction  of  the  post  of  Detroit 
would  be  the  only  certain  means  of  giving  peace  and 
security  to  the  whole  western  frontier,  and  I  have 
constantly  kept  my  eye  upon  that  object;  but  such 
has  been  the  reduced  state  of  our  Continental  forces, 
and  such  the  low  ebb  of  our  funds,  especially  of  late, 
that  I  have  never  had  it  in  my  power  to  m.ake  the 
attempt."  Detroit  was  left  to  the  British  only,  as 
Clark  stated,  "for  the  want  of  a  few  men." 

Little  reliance  can  be  placed  on  the  figures  given  in 
the  British  colonial  reports  regarding  the  population 
of  Detroit  between  1763  and  1796,  because  of  lack  of 
system  in  classifying  the  data  given.  The  population 
included  farmers,   trappers,   soldiers,   slaves,   and   In- 

vS5.     Roosevelt,  The  Winning  of  the  West,  II,  1. 
36.     Sparks,  Writings  of  Washington,  VI,  341. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  99 

dians.  The  trappers  resided  in  the  settlement  only  a 
part  of  the  year;  sometimes  they  were  counted  as 
residents,  and  sometimes  not.  In  some  reports  the 
soldiers  were  included  among  the  inhabitants.  Some 
reports  included  the  settlers  on  both  sides  of  the  river, 
others  only  those  within  the  palisades.  James  May,  a 
merchant,  gives  us  a  picture  of  the  settlement  in  1778. 
He  says  that  at  this  time  there  were  sixty  houses, 
mostly  one -story  high,  made  of  logs.^^  The  popula- 
tion consisted  mostly  of  French  Canadians.  There  were 
thirty  Scotch,  fifteen  Irish,  and  a  few  English.  Twenty 
of  the  inhabitants  kept  retail  stores.  The  settlement 
was  confined  mostly  to  the  banks  of  the  river;  "there 
were  no  settlements  nor  improvements  in  any  other 
part  of  the  Territory  than  that  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity of  Detroit."  This  must  have  included  only  what  is 
now  the  American  side  of  the  river.  The  Indian  trade 
was  excellent.  There  was  little  Government  money  to 
be  had,  the  circulating  medium  consisting  chiefly  of 
paper  money  issued  by  the  merchants.  Permission  was 
given  "to  strike  off  as  much  money  each  month  as  a 
person  had  property  to  redeem  it  that  month."  Such 
a  currency  would  be  adaptable  to  a  small  community, 
provided  it  was  '  'called-in' '  frequently.  The  goods  used 
in  the  Indian  trade  were  imported  from  Montreal, 
being  brought  to  Detroit  by  the  King's  ships  free  of 
charge.  ^^ 

In  a  report  of  the   "Survey  of  the  Settlement  of 

37.  Croghan  gave  eighty  as  the  number  of  houses  within  the 

stockade  for  1764.     Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  I, 
152  (Croghan's  Journal). 

38.  James  May's  Notebook,  quoted  in  Roberts,  Sketches  of  the 

City  of  the  Straits,  6. 


100 


HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 


Detroit  taken  in  1779,"  there  appear  to  have  been 
2525  whites,  60  male  slaves,  and  78  female  slaves  in 
the  settlement.  This  probably  included  the  soldiers 
of  the  garrison. ^^  The  census  of  1780  shows  2028 
whites  and  79  male  slaves.  More  than  twelve  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  were  under  cultivation."**^  A  census 
for  1782,  taken  under  the  supervision  of  Major  de 
Peyster,  July  20,  1782,  shows'*^ 


321 

heads  of  families. 

254  married  women, 

72 

widows. 

336 

young  and  hired  men, 

526 

boys, 

503 

girls, 

78  male  slaves. 

101 

female  slaves, 

1112 

horses, 

413 

oxen. 

807 

cows. 

452 

yearlings. 

447 

sheep, 

1370 

hogs. 

29250 

cwt.  flour, 

1804  bushels  wheat. 

355 

bushels  com, 

4075 

bushels  wheat  sown, 

521 

acres  under  com, 

1849 

acres  under  oats, 

(Excluding  all  those  em- 
ployed in  the  King's 
service  and  all  those 
employed  in  the   In- 
dian country,  say  100.) 


39.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  X,  326. 

40.  Ibid.,  XIII.  53. 

41.  About  500  militia  in  the  settlement,  August  1,  1782.     Ibid. 

X,  613;  XIII,  54. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  101 

13770  acres  under  cultivation, 
3000  bushels  potatoes  (supposed)  in  ground, 
1000  barrels  cider  to  be  m.ade. 

In  spite  of  the  seemingly  healthy  condition  of 
agriculture  at  the  settlement,  not  enough  was  raised 
to  supply  the  needs  of  garrisons  and  some  of  the 
settlers  at  the  posts,  for  in  1780  Haldimand  sug- 
gested that  British  settlers  be  located  at  Detroit,  and 
about  the  various  other  posts,  to  till  the  soil  and  fur- 
nish the  posts  with  food.  "The  expediency  of  this 
measure,"  he  says,  ''is  sufficiently  evinced  by  the  in- 
jury the  service  has  and  must  always  suffer  from  a 
want  of  sufficient  supply  of  provisions."  Such  a  plan 
carried  out  would  likewise  "diminish  the  immense 
expense  and  labor  attending  so  difficult  and  distant 
transportation."  Instructions  were  given  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Bolton  to  carry  the  suggestions  "into  execution 
at  Detroit."42 

In  the  preliminary  treaty  of  November  30,  1782,  and 
the  final  treaty  of  September  20,  1783,  the  boundary 
line  between  the  United  States  and  British  North 
America  was  placed  at  the  center  of  the  Lakes  and 
connecting  waters.  This  gave  Otsego,  Niagara,  De- 
troit, and  Mackinac  to  the  United  States;  and  in  the 
negotiations  that  led  to  the  provisions  of  the  treaty 
of  1783,  the  statesmanship  of  America  scored  over  that 
of  the  British.  Bourinot  in  his  volume  on  Canada  says,*^ 
"Three  of  the  ablest  men  in  the  United  States,  Frank- 
lin, John  Adams,  and  John  Jay,  succeeded  by  their 

42.  Ihid.,  XIX,  543. 

43.  Bourinot,  Canada,  296. 


102  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

astuteness  and  persistency  in  extending  the  country's 
limits  to  the  eastern  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  in  spite 
of  the  insidious  efforts  of  Vergennes  on  the  part  of 
France  to  hem  in  the  new  nation  between  the  Atlantic 
and  the  Appalachians."  And  Anderson  says,"**  "In 
every  instance  have  the  i\inericans  been  [so  much]  our 
superiors  at  negotiation  that  the  results  of  all  our 
treaties  with  them  and  all  our  commercial  arrange- 
ments in  which  they  were  concerned  have  amounted 
to  the  robbery  of  the  British  provinces  of  their  legiti- 
mate rights  and  privileges  or  a  sacrifice  of  our  shipping 
interests  and  indeed  in  most  cases  of  both." 

Some  of  the  British  merchants  tried  to  place  all  the 
blame  for  the  loss  of  the  posts  on  the  British  negotia- 
tors. The  Montreal  merchants,  in  a  memorial,  "de- 
plored with  the  deepest  regret  the  impolicy,  want  of 
local  information,  and  lavish  unnecessary  concessions" 
which  induced  the  negotiators  of  the  treaty  "to  lay 
at  the  feet  of  the  United  States  the  most  valuable  trade 
in  the  country."''^ 

In  July,  1783,  Washington  sent  Baron  Steuben  to 
take  possession  of  the  various  Lake  ports.  He  was 
refused  by  Governor  General  Haldimand,  on  the 
ground  that  he  had  not  yet  received  orders  from  the 
home  Government  to  evacuate  the  posts.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1783,  New  York  was  evacuated  by  the  British, 
but  the  British  officials  on  the  Lakes  still  refused  to 
vacate.  The  retention  of  the  Lake  posts  was  ex- 
cused on  the  plea  that  the  United  States  had  failed  to 
keep  certain  terms  of  the  treaty  regarding  the  Royalists 

44.  Anderson,  Importance  of  the  British  Colonics  in  America,  282. 

45.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXiV,  Z3,^. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  103 

who  had  migrated  to  Canada  at  the  opening  of  the 
Revolutionary  War;  that  British  merchants  were  pre- 
vented from  recovering  bo7ia  fide  debts  by  laws  in 
many  States;  that  British  subjects  were  insulted  when 
they  came  to  take  possession  of  property  in  the  United 
States  under  terms  of  the  treaty;  and  that  the  English 
who  had  received  payment  for  debt  had  been  paid  in 
depreciated  currency ,^^  One  of  the  chief  reasons  for 
the  retention  of  the  posts  was  the  desire  to  retain  com- 
plete control  of  the  fur  trade  of  the  Lakes.  James 
McGill,  a  Montreal  m.erchant,  gave  it  as  his  opinion 
that  furs  to  the  value  of  £180,000  were  shipped  from 
the  posts  of  the  Lakes  region  annually,  and  that  furs 
valued  at  £100,000  were  "brought  from  the  coimtry 
now  within  the  American  line  as  fixed  by  the  late 
treaty. "^^  Robertson  in  a  hearing  at  Montreal  in 
October,  1788,  said,  "By  relinquishing  the  posts  of 
Detroit  and  Michillimackinac,  we  necessarily  relin- 
quish the  sovereignty  of  that  immeasiu-able  chain  of 
water  communication  formed  by  the  river  St.  Law- 
rence and  the  lakes  to  the  west,  and  the  noble  streams 
of  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi.  We  give  up  a  country 
enriched  by  nature  with  the  finest  soil  and  climate, 
accomodated  with  innumerable  navigable  rivers,  and 
fitted  to  become  by  the  exertion  of  industry,  under 
the  protection  of  favorable  laws,  the  noblest  and  most 
extensive  colony  in  the  world;  and  as  a  necessary 
consequence  of  this  sacrifice  we  give  up  most  assuredly 
the  fur-trade,  we  abandon  those  advantages  which  as 
a  commercial  people  are  the  reward  of  our  present 

46.  Ibid.,  XXIV,  403,  Memoir  of  Montreal  Merchants. 

47.  Ibid.,  XI,  462. 


104  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

possessions.  That  forts  may  be  constructed  and  settle- 
ments formed  on  the  northeast  side  of  the  lakes,  I 
readily  agree,  but  that  they  could  protect  the  trade 
(I  allude  to  the  fur-trade)  when  the  whole  country 
where  furs  are  produced  would  be  without  their  com- 
mand, under  other  governments  and  in  the  hands  of 
a  rival  and  commercial  people,  I  cannot  possibly 
believe  or  foresee. "^^ 

In  regard  to  the  latter  point  made  by  Robertson, 
Long  in  his  Travels  in  North  America  fully  agrees. 
"Were  the  English,"  he  says,^^  "to  remain  in  posses- 
sion of  every  part  of  Canada  except  the  posts,  number- 
less doors  would  be  left  open  for  the  Americans  to 
smuggle  in  their  goods;  and,  in  process  of  time,  the 
illicit  trade  would  supersede  the  necessity  of  the  ex- 
portation of  British  goods  from  England  to  Canada, 
and  the  commercial  benefits  which  would  arise  from 
the  consumption  of  our  manufactured  goods  would  be 
entirely  lost.  In  that  case  Canada  would  be  of  little 
benefit  to  England  in  a  commercial  point  of  view. 
How  far  it  is  worth  the  expense  of  retaining,  politically 
considered,  is  not  for  me  to  discuss." 

This  opinion  was  not  shared  by  all  British  men  of 
authority,  among  whom  was  James  McGill.  He  did  not 
believe  that  the  Americans  could  offer  serious  com- 
petition. The  British  had  posts  and  vessels  on  the 
Lakes  and  were  likely  to  interfere  with  American 
traders.  The  Americans  were  unaccustomed  to  the 
canoe  and  could  not  expect  to  take  the  trade  in  the 
north.     The  Americans  had  no  market  except  London 

48.  Ibid.,  XI,  639. 

49.  Thwaites,  Longs  Travels  in  N .  A.,  II,  SI. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  105 

and  they  were  not  likely  to  send  their  furs  there. 
There  was  no  danger  that  furs  obtained  within  the 
British  lines  would  be  sold  to  the  Americans,  for  they 
could  not  pay  more  than  could  be  obtained  for  them 
in  London.  Since  the  British  were  able  to  transport 
goods  to  Detroit  much  cheaper  than  the  Americans 
could  hope  to,  they,  therefore,  could  afford  to  sell 
goods  cheaper  than  the  Americans,  and  give  better 
prices  for  the  furs  and  peltry.^ °  It  is  very  probable 
that  the  Americans,  at  the  time  McGill  wrote,  were  in 
no  condition  to  offer  strong  competition,  for  the 
British  not  only  controlled  the  markets  but  had  de- 
veloped a  well  organized  system  of  transportation 
between  Montreal  and  the  Lakes  region.  The  Ameri- 
cans, up  to  this  time,  had  little  occasion  to  develop  a 
transportation  route  from  the  middle  Atlantic  sea- 
board to  the  Great  Lakes. 

The  British  lost  not  only  a  large  area  rich  in  furs,  and 
the  profits  that  arise  from  the  traffic  in  furs,  but  also 
many  of  the  natural  facilities  for  the  transportation  of 
the  furs;  for  in  the  matter  of  harbors  and  places  of 
shelter  for  vessels,  the  American  side  of  the  Great 
Lakes  is  much  better  supplied  than  the  Canadian. 
"The  Bay  of  Saginaw,"  writes  a  British  official  in  1800, 
"in  itself  a  sort  of  lake,  has  nearly  the  same  advan- 
tages as  a  lake."  It  has  many  harbors  and  a  large 
river  (Saginaw  River)  flowing  into  it,  up  which  the 
largest  boats  in  use  on  the  Lakes  in  the  eighteenth 
century  could  sail  for  several  miles.  Behind  Presque 
Isle,  Middle  Island,  and  Thunder  Bay  Island  vessels 
may  find  refuge  in  storms.     The  Clinton  River  (called 

50.    Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XI,  482. 


lOli  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

the  Huron  of  Lake  St.  Clair,  in  the  British  period), 
the  Rouge,  Huron,  Raisin,  Maumee  and  several  other 
rivers  of  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie  were  deep 
enough  for  several  miles  in  their  lower  courses  to 
accommodate  the  small  vessels,  and  many  of  the 
river  harbors  admitted  the  largest  of  the  British  and 
American  boats.  "To  counteract  these  advantages," 
the  writer  comments,  "recourse  must  be  had  to  art 
and  expense  on  our  [the  British]  part."^^ 

Repeated  attempts  were  made  by  the  Americans  to 
get  possession  of  the  posts,  but  without  success.  In 
1784  Haldimand,  Governor  of  Quebec,  stated  that  he 
had  thought  it  his  duty  to  oppose  the  delivery  of  the 
posts  to  the  Americans  until  his  Majesty's  orders  for 
the  same  were  received.  He  believed  commercial 
motives  lay  behind  the  attempts  of  the  Americans; 
for,  he  writes, ^^  "the  uncommon  returns  of  fiu"s  this 
year  [1784]  from  the  upper  country  have  increased  the 
anxiety  of  the  Americans  to  become  masters  of  it." 

Perhaps  the  Americans  were  most  anxious  about  the 
prevention  of  Indian  depredations  on  the  frontier.  It 
was  agreed  by  all  that  as  long  as  the  British  retained 
these  posts,  the  Americans  could  not  hope  for  success 
against  the  Indians;  for  from  these  posts,  and  espe- 
cially Detroit,  they  obtained  their  supplies  of  arms  and 
ammunition.  One  Congressman,  in  a  speech  at  Wash- 
ington, stated  that  until  these  posts  were  in  the  poses- 

51.  Ibid.,  XV,  12-14.     At  that  time  only  one  harbor  on  the 

north  shore  of  Lake  Erie  was  used,  and  little  was  known 
of  the  harbor  facilities  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake 
Huron. 

52.  Ibid.,  XX,  269  (Haldimand  Papers). 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  107 

sion  of  the  United  States  it  would  be  in  vain  to  send 
armies  into  the  wilderness. ^^ 

The  encouragement  given  Royalists  to  migrate  to 
Detroit  at  the  close  of  the  American  Revolution  sug- 
gests that  the  British  had  deeper  reasons  than  the 
question  of  debts  due  to  British  subjects.  Could  they 
induce  a  large  body  of  loyal  British  subjects  to  settle 
in  the  Lakes  region,  they  might  hold  it  by  reason  of 
occupation.  In  1783  it  was  proposed  to  offer  to  the 
Loyalists  of  Virginia  an  asyltma  at  Detroit.  Gover- 
nor Haldimand  wrote  to  Lieutenant  General  Hay  con- 
cerning the  proposition  as  follows. ^^  "In  regard  to 
persons  from  Virginia  or  Maryland  who  may  propose 
themselves  as  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  of  Detroit, 
great  attention  must  be  paid  not  to  receive  any  whose 
political  characters  will  not  bear  the  nicest  scrutiny 
.  none  shall  be  permitted  to  settle  but  those  of 
approved  loyalty  .  .  .  and  they  must  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance."  In  1794  fifty  families  from  near 
Niagara  and  twenty-six  families  from  near  Fort  Pitt 
sent  in  their  names  in  expectation  of  having  lands 
granted  them.^^  A  letter  from  Detroit,  dated  June  2, 
1785,  to  Sir  John  Johnson,  announces, ^^  "Several  per- 
sons arrived  yesterday  from  the  neighborhood  of  Pitts- 
burg, seeking  an  asylum  from  the  persecution  they  are 
subjected  to  in  the  States,  on  account  of  their  princi- 
ples during  the  late  war,  and  they  say  that  many 
others  in  the  same  predicament  are  about  to  remove 
to  this  place  or  some  other  within  the  protection  of 

53.  Benton,  Debates,  I,  342. 

54.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XI,  410. 

55.  Ibid.,  XI,  350,  452. 

56.  Ibid.,  XI,  452. 


108  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

His  Majesty's  government  when  encouragement  will 
be  given  them."  Land  was  provided  for  many  Loyal- 
ists in  part  of  what  is  now  Ontario.  The  encourage- 
ment given  to  Loyalists  to  settle  at  Detroit,  the  strin- 
gent measures  to  keep  out  the  Americans,  and  the  reten- 
tion of  the  posts,  all  points  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
British  never  intended  to  comply  with  the  articles  of 
the  treaty  of  1783. 

Shortly  after  the  French  surrender  at  Montreal  to 
the  English,  traders  began  to  take  over  the  fur  trade 
of  the  Lakes  region.  Alexander  Henry,  who  later  be- 
came a  leader  in  the  trade,  was  at  Michillimackinac 
when  the  Indians  by  strategy  captured  that  post  in 
1763.  Many  traders  of  "good  family  but  narrow 
means  came  to  America  from  the  Highlands  of  Scot- 
land."°"  By  the  time  the  Americans  took  possession 
of  Detroit,  the  Scotch  merchants  far  outnumbered  all 
others.  After  the  close  of  Pontiac's  war  the  trade 
increased  greatly.  Goods  for  the  Indian  trade  and 
furs  and  peltry  constituted  the  bulk  of  the  commerce 
of  Canada.  The  collecting  grounds  for  furs  gradually 
became  exhausted  in  the  Michigan  region,  and  the 
center  of  the  business  shifted  to  the  region  north  of 
Lake  Superior,  with  Grand  Portage  as  a  distributing 
center.  Hamilton,  in  1780,  reported^^  that  "one  year 
with  another  [the  trade]  produces  to  Great  Britain 
returns  to  the  amount  of  £200,000  Sterling  in  furs,  one- 
half  from  Michillimackinac  and  dependencies  and  one- 
half  from  the  Lower  Provinces,  Detroit,  [and]  Niag- 
ara."    It  took  about  one  htindred  canoes,  each  manned 

57.  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  136. 

58.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  X,  Til;  XIX.  508. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  109 

by  eight  men,  to  handle  the  goods  to  and  from  Mont- 
real. Many  families  were  supported  by  m.aking  the 
goods  into  clothing  for  the  savages.  Henry  says,^^ 
"From  MichilHm.ackinac  some  of  the  furs  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  English  traders  at  Albany,  advan- 
tage being  taken  of  ships  sailing  to  Niagara,  but  the 
leading  spirits  at  Grand  Portage  were  Canadians  and 
their  furs  reached  Montreal  by  the  Ottawa  River. 
The  English  of  New  York  were  hampered  by  lack  of 
skilled  labor.  But  the  Canadian  traders  found,  ready 
at  hand,  the  French  Canadians,  the  best  canoe  and 
bush  man  in  the  world."  Many  of  the  canoemen  were 
engaged  also  in  other  occupations.  The  canoes  of  the 
Northwest  Company  were  usually  the  first  to  leave 
Montreal  in  the  spring,  and  the  men  returned  early 
"to  harvest  the  crops  and  do  other  needful  service. "^° 

For  twenty  years  after  the  conquest  of  Canada,  until 
after  the  close  of  the  American  Revolution,  the  fur 
trade  was  mostly  in  the  hands  of  independent  com- 
panies. In  1784  the  Northwest  Company  was  founded 
by  leading  fur  merchants  of  Montreal  in  order  to 
reduce  competition  among  the  traders  of  Montreal,  and 
the  better  to  compete  with  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 
The  success  of  the  Northwest  Company  soon  excited 
the  jealousy  of  the  other  merchants  at  Montreal  and 
Quebec,  and  shortly  three  different  companies  were 
rivalling  each  other  in  the  purchase  of  furs,  which,  as 
Liancourt  puts  it,"  "could  not  but  prove  highly  detri- 
mental to  themselves  and  advantageous  'to  the  In- 

59.  Henry,  Travels  in  Canada,  20  (Editor's  note). 

60.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XIX,  509. 

61.  Liancourt,  Travels  Through  U.  S.  of  N.  A.,  I,  326. 


110  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

dians."  The  Northwest  Company,  being  more  opulent 
than  the  rest,  used  its  wealth  to  crush  the  others. 
The  leaders  at  last  became  sensible  of  the  necessity  of 
uniting,  and,  in  1787  and  again  in  1805,  combinations 
were  made  whereby  the  different  fur-traders  operat- 
ing in  and  about  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  all  unit- 
ed with  the  Northwest  Company.^-  This  left  two  great 
companies  to  compete  for  the  fur  trade  of  northeast 
North  America,  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  and  the 
Northwest  Company.  The  region  for  collecting  furs 
was  northwest  of  Lake  Superior,  with  Mackinac  as 
the  great  rendez^vous.  The  Northwest  Company,  be- 
ing a  powerful  monopoly,  with  the  chief  offices  at  the 
seat  of  the  Canadian  Government,  secured  concession 
after  concession  from  that  government.  To  facilitate 
the  transportation  of  furs  on  Lake  Superior,  it  received 
permission  to  build  a  small  vessel  at  Detroit,  which 
was  taken  around  the  rapids  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  On 
Lakes  Huron,  Erie,  and  Ontario,  it  had  the  precedence 
in  the  use  of  the  Government  vessels  because  of  the 
shortness  of  the  season  and  the  great  distance  to  the 
collecting  grounds. "^^ 

The  activity  of  the  Northwest  Company  in  the 
region  northwest  of  Lake  Superior,  which  was  terri- 
tory claimed  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  caused  the 
latter  to  change  its  time-long  methods  of  collecting 
furs.  Formerly,  the  Indians  carried  their  furs  to  the 
various  factories  on  Hudson  Bay,  but  now  the  com- 
pany sent  its  agents  in  some  cases  a  thousand  miles 
into  the  interior  after  the  furs.'^'*     The  treatment  of  the 


62.  Brvcc,  Hist,  of  Hudson  Bay  Co.,  149,  199. 

63.  Ibid.,  117. 

64.  Liancourt,  Travels  Through  U.  S.  of  X.  A.,  I,  326. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  111 

Indians  by  the  Northwest  Company  was  highly  com- 
mendable; and  such  treatment,  as  Johnson  long  before 
predicted,  won  their  friendship.  Anderson  says  of  the 
managers  of  the  Northwest  Company,^^  "In  all  their 
intercourse  with  the  Indians  they  have  not  only 
avoided  quarrels  but  have  universally  commanded  the 
respect  of  that  uncultivated  and  war-like  people  both 
for  themselves  and  for  the  British  in  general.  It  is 
evident  then  that  it  is  to  their  merchantile  establish- 
ment that  we  are  endebted  for  the  cordial  co-operation 
of  the  Indians  against  the  Americans."  Their  great 
success  in  this  direction,  their  wealth,  and  the  strong 
influence  of  their  members  in  governmental  affairs 
enabled  them  to  control  the  policy  of  the  Government 
in  all  matters  regarding  the  trade  of  the  Upper  Coun- 
try. It  was  chiefly  for  the  preservation  of  their  com- 
mercial interests  in  the  fur  trade  that  the  British 
officials  evolved  excuse  after  excuse  to  delay  the  fulfill- 
ment of  the  articles  of  the  Definitive  Treaty  of  1783. 

About  1787,  when  there  was  some  agitation  on  the 
part  of  the  British  officials  to  restore  the  posts  to  the 
Americans,  the  Montreal  merchants  claimed  that  the 
Upper  Coimtry  owed  a  balance  to  the  Quebec  Prov- 
ince and  the  town  of  Montreal — a  sum  not  far  short 
of  three  hundred  thousand  pounds  Sterling — and  that 
the  returns  for  at  least  two  years  were  necessary  to 
offset  the  balance.  It  therefore  was  necessary  to  keep 
possession  of  the  posts;  for  were  they  to  be  given  up, 
"a  very  large  proportion  of  this  simi  would  be  lost,  to 
the  hurt  of  the  nation  and  the  ruin  of  a  number  of 
individuals."     They  also  declared  that  every  article 

65.     Anderson,  Importance  of  the  British  Colonies  in  Anier.,  243. 


112  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

of  merchandise  employed  in  the  trade  was  of  British 
manufacture,  and  that  every  increase  in  trade  tended 
to  benefit  the  parent  state,  "a  circumstance  deserving 
the  most  careful  consideration."'^'^  When  the  insist- 
ence of  the  Americans  became  so  great  that  the 
British  officials  seemed  about  to  yield,  and  when  Jay 
was  sent  to  negotiate  a  new  treaty,  the  Northwest 
Company  sent  memorial  after  memorial  to  the  Cana- 
dian officials  in  an  endeavor  to  save  to  itself  the  con- 
trol of  the  fur  trade  of  the  Lakes  Region. 

In  December,  1790,  the  fur-traders  sent  a  memorial 
claiming  that,  "not  having  since  the  treaty  of  1783 
encountered  any  difficulty  from  the  subjects  of  the 
American  States,  they  had  been  led  to  extend  the 
Indian  'trade  farther  and  farther  to  the  west."  By 
reason  of  this  extension  their  property  in  that  country 
had  increased  greatly,  any  sudden  check  to  their 
commercial  pursuits  would  occasion  their  ruin,  "and 
therefore  not  less  than  five  years  woiild  be  sufficient 
for  them  fully  to  collect  and  withdraw  their  property." 
If  "at  the  end  of  that  period  it  would  seem,  fit  to  cede 
the  posts,"  they  desired  that  "the  Indian  country 
should  be  considered  neutral  ground  free  and  open  for 
purpose  of  trade."" 

In  December,  1791,  the  fur-traders  made  proposals 
to  the  Canadian  Government  as  to  boundaries 
between  the  United  States  and  British  America. 
They  suggested  several  lines  for  boundaries  which 
might  be  proposed  in  turn  to  the  United  States, 
First,  they  suggested  a  boundary  along  the  Allegheny 

66.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XI,  473. 

67.  Ibid.,  XXIV,  163-164. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  113 

River  to  the  Ohio  River.  A  second  proposal  was  to 
place  the  boundary  from  Presque  Isle  to  the  French 
River  and  down  this  to  the  Ohio."^^  If  this  could  not 
be  obtained,  then  the  governm.ent  should  strive  to  get 
a  line  up  the  Maumee  River  from  Lake  Erie  and  down 
the  Wabash  to  the  Ohio.  If  a  greater  sacrifice  of  terri- 
tory seem.ed  necessary  they  said  the  only  other  natiu-al 
boundary  was  along  the  water  communication  to  Lake 
Huron,  through  the  Straits  of  Mackinac,  then  along 
the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  and  around  the 
head  of  the  lake  to  the  Chicago  River.  As  a  fifth  line 
they  suggested  the  Fox-Wisconsin  trade  route,  and 
"if  all  must  be  abandoned  and  still  further  conces- 
sions made  under  the  idea  of  the  spirit  of  the  late 
treaty,"  then  as  a  last  resort  the  Government  should 
try  to  secure  "a  line  from.  Sault  Ste.  Marie's  river  to 
the  Apostle  Islands,  then  ascending  a  river  which  falls 
into  Lake  Superior,  across  from,  the  headwaters  of  this 
to  the  Chippewa  River,  and  down  this  to   the    Mis- 

68.  The  memorial  reads,  "A  line  up  Lake  Erie  to  Rayago  R,  up 
this  to  its  source,  then  crossing  to  the  nearest  water  course 
which  falls  into  the  Ohio."  The  Rayago  R.  does  not  ap- 
pear on  any  of  the  maps  nor  in  any  of  the  descriptions 
the  writer  has  seen.  (See  Evans'  map  of  1755,  cor- 
rected by  Pownall  to  1776,  in  Moore,  Northwest  Under 
Three  Flags,  80;  Bonnecamp's  map,  1730-1750,  in  Win- 
sor,  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  V,  569;  British  map  of  1792,  en- 
dorsedby  Simcoe,  in  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIV,  383.  All 
large  rivers  along  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie  are  named  in 
this  map;  British  map,  1793,  in  Ibid.,  XXIV,  617;  Hul- 
feert.  Historic  Highways,  VII,  153,  160;  Croghan's  Journal, 
in  Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  I).  After  the  Cha- 
taqua  Portage,  the  Presque  Isle  Portage  was  the  most 
important  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie.  The 
writer  takes  the  liberty  of  considering  the  second  line  as 
passing  from  Presque  Isle  to  the  French  River. 
15 


114  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

issippi."  This  surely  should  satisfy  the  stipulations 
of  the  treaty. ^^  All  these  proposed  boundary  lines 
were  along  well  traveled  trade  routes,  which  routes,  as 
previously  shown,""  are  geographically  determined."^ 

In  April  1792,  in  their  petition  to  the  Canadian 
Government,  they  stated  that  it  was  "indispensibly 
necessary  to  the  security  of  the  northwest  trade  that 
the  Grand  Portage  be  left  in  British  hands,  or  at  any 
rate  that  it  be  considered  an  open  highway  equally 
belonging  to  both  parties.""^  They  gave  it  as  their 
opinion  that  a  communication  with  the  Mississippi 
certainly  was  intended  by  the  treaty.  "It  is  a  matter 
of  immense  magnitude,"  they  wrote, '^^  "that  we  should 
obtain  a  practicable  commimication  with  the  Missis- 
sippi not  only  on  account  of  a  participation  of  the 
Indian  trade  on  this  side  but  as  an  opening  to  us  of 
new  sources  of  it  on  the  west  side  of  that  river,  which 
is  capable  of  being  explored  and  greatly  extended." 

These  merchants  were  so  influential  that  the  British 
Government,  in  spite  of  the  enormous  expense  inci- 
dent to  the  civil  and  military  administration  of  Upper 
Canada,  was  induced  to  make  every  possible  effort  to 
retain  the  posts.  The  total  sum  included  in  civil  and 
military  expenses  and  in  presents  given  the  Indians, 
frequently  amounted  for  Upper  Canada  alone,  to  one 
himdred  thousand  pounds  Sterling  yearly.  Liancourt 
states  that  nearly  two-thirds  of  this  sum  was  paid  to 
Indians,  Indian  agents,  under-agents,  interpreters,  and 

69.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIV,  340. 

70.  Chapter  I. 

71.  Sec  map. 

72.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIV,  406. 

73.  Ibid.,  405. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH 


115 


116  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

others. "■*  The  enormous  expense  incurred  in  giving 
presents  may  be  judged  from  the  lists  filed  in  the 
Canadian  Government  documents  between  1770  and 
1796."^  In  a  requisition  list  for  1782,  more  than  one 
hundred  kinds  of  articles  were  included.  Among  the 
more  important  and  more  expensive  were, 

4700  pairs  blankets,  10000  lbs.  gunpowder, 

1500  lbs.  vermilHon,  35000  lbs.  ball  and  shot, 

96  doz.  silk  handker-  10000  lbs.  tobacco, 

chiefs,  300  lbs.  beads, 

450  felt  hats,  12  nests  of  brass  kettles, 

100  castor  hats,  15  nests  of  copper  ket- 

94  saddles,  ties, 

250  bridles,  20  nests  of  tin  kettles, 

120  guns,  100  pairs  of  shoes, 

300  tomahawks,  400  large  silver  gorgets, 

45  doz.  scalping  knives,  440  large  silver  moons, 

300  half  axes,  400  large  silver  arm 

1000  ear  bobs,  bands,  and 
5000  small  silver  broaches,  10000  large  silver  broaches. 

In  addition,  there  were  various  articles  of  clothing, 
scissors,  fish  nets,  hooks,  hoes,  thread,  buttons,  awls, 
belts,  spurs,  feathers,  pipes,  combs,  and  other  articles 
in  large  quantities.''^ 

Jay's  negotiations  resulted  in  the  order  from  the 
British  Government  to  evacuate  the  posts,  June  2, 
1796,  in  accordance  with  which  general  orders  were 

74.  Liancourt,  Travels  Through  U.  S.  of  N.  A.,  I,  243. 

75.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  X,  496,  632;  XII,  16.  84. 

76.  Ibid.,  X,  632. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  117 

sent  to  Niagara,  Detroit,  Fort  Miami,  and  Michilli- 
mackinac."  The  British  flag  was  lowered,  and  the 
American  flag  for  the  first  time  waved  over  these  posts. 

Before  the  final  surrender  of  the  posts  and  after  the 
victory  of  General  Wayne  had  put  an  end  to  private 
dealings  with  Indians  for  lands,  British  merchants  who 
were  largely  interested  in  the  fur  trade,  and  thus  re- 
luctant to  see  American  control  established,  made  an 
attempt  to  get  possession  of  the  Southern  Peninsula  of 
Michigan  by  purchase.  They  endeavored  to  convince 
Congress  that  the  Indians  really  had  not  been  pacified 
by  Wayne,  and  that  nothing  but  the  influence  of  the 
Canadian  fur  merchants  ever  could  bring  them  to 
terms  and  make  the  fur  trade  of  the  Lakes  region  safe 
under  American  rule;  their  scheme,  however,  was 
blocked  in  Congress.  They  next  tried  to  gain  their 
point  by  private  dealings  with  the  Indians.  A  council 
was  held  at  Detroit,  July  1,  1795,  with  the  Michigan 
Indians,  from  whom  they  obtai:ned  an  area  equal  to 
twelve  or  fourteen  counties,  for  about  twenty-five 
pounds  Sterling.  Their  land  claim  was  not  recognized 
by  the  United  States  Government.  Had  their  schemes 
succeeded,  the  settlement  of  the  Detroit  region  would 
have  been  delayed  for  many  years. ^^ 

Throughout  the  thirteen  years  that  the  British  held 
these  posts  in  violation  of  the  treaty  of  1783,  the 
frontier  of  America  was  subject  to  repeated  ravages 
from  the  Indians.  In  1790  statistics  were  collected 
which  showed  that  since  1783  no  less  than  1520  men, 
women,    and   children  in   Kentucky   alone   had   been 

77.  Ihid.,  XXV,  121  (Colonial  Records). 

78.  I6^'t/.,  VIII,  407,619. 


118  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

killed  by  the  Indians  or  carried  off  into  captivity.'^ 
Much  of  the  hostility  of  the  Indians  was  due  to  the 
encroachment  of  the  American  settlers  into  the  Ohio 
Valley.  The  Indians  insisted  that  the  Ohio  River 
should  be  the  boundary  line  between  themselves  and 
the  American  settlements.  In  this  contention  they 
were  supported  by  the  British  officials  and  the  fur 
merchants  of  Montreal,  but  without  success.  Treaties 
were  forced  upon  them  by  the  Americans  in  1784, 
1785,  and  1786,  whereby  large  areas  of  land  north  of 
the  Ohio  were  ceded  and  the  Indians  slowly  forced 
westward. ^°  "Look  back,"  they  said  to  the  United 
States  commissioners  in  1793,  "and  view  the  lands 
from  whence  we  have  been  driven  to  this  spot.  We 
can  retreat  no  farther,  because  the  country  behind 
hardly  affords  food  for  the  present  inhabitants,  and  we 
have  therefore  resolved  to  leave  our  bones  in  this 
small  space  to  which  we  are  now  consigned.  We  shall 
agree  that  you  mean  us  justice  if  you  agree  that  the 
Ohio  shall  remain  the  boundary  between  us."^^  This, 
however,  was  not  possible.  The  American  settlers, 
moving  westward  in  an  ever  swelling  tide,  could  not 
be  checked;  they  were  land  hungry,  seeking  cheap 
lands  and  new  homes.  The  question  of  justice  to  the 
Indians  was  no  argiunent  to  them.  They  all  had  at 
heart,  if  they  did  not  express  it,  the  feeling,  so  well 
put  by  James  Robinson  at  Nashville  in  1781  :^-  "These 
rich  and  beautiful  lands  were  not  designed  to  be  given 

79.  Coolev,  Michigan,  112. 

80.  Winsor,  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  VI,  605,  608,  610,  650,  706; 

VII,  446,  453. 

81.  Stone,  Life  of  Brant  (quoted  by  Cooley,  Michigan,  113). 

82.  Phelan,  Tennessee,  130. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  119 

Up  to  the  savages  and  wild  beasts."  Not  a  few  offi- 
cials of  the  American  Government  realized  that  in 
many  cases  selfish  motives,  "the  roving  disposition  of 
the  frontier  settlers,"  and  not  pressing  economic  needs, 
drove  the  settlers  to  the  new  lands;  and  that  if  the 
settlements  were  kept  "more  nearly  connected  with 
the  old  settlements,  they  would  be  more  useful  to  the 
community  at  large  and  would  not  so  frequently 
involve  [the  coimtry]  in  unnecessary  and  expensive 
wars  with  the  Indians."  Within  the  "proper  bounda- 
ries" of  the  United  States  there  was  sufficient  land 
where  "they  might  for  years  to  come  cultivate  the 
soil  in  peace  neither  invaded  nor  invading. "^^  The 
policy  of  restricting  the  frontier  was  not  adopted  by 
the  United  States  Government  imtil  many  years 
later. 

The  continual  encroachment  of  the  settlers  kept  the 
Indians  hostile.  Finally,  in  June  1794,  General  Wayne 
was  sent  with  an  army  over  the  road  along  which  St. 
Clair  had  led  his  forces  to  defeat,  and  in  August  1794 
defeated  the  Indians  within  sight  of  the  fort  that  the 
British  had  just  constructed  on  United  States  terri- 
tory in  direct  violation  of  the  treaty  of  1783.  This 
victory  completely  cowed  the  Indians,  and  they  were 
ready  to  make  peace  on  any  terms. ^^ 

The  Treaty  of  Greenville  (August  3,  1795)  gave  the 
Americans,  among  various  posts  and  areas  of  land,  the 
post  of  Detroit  and  all  land  north,  west,  and  south 
between  "the  river  Rosine  [Raisin]  on  the  south  and 

83.  Benton,  Debates,  I,  342. 

84.  Winsor,  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  VII,  453 ;  Lee,  A  Hist,  of  North 

Amer.,  II,  276  (Thomas);  VII,  295  (Moran);  VIII,  124, 
141  (Geer). 


120  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

Lake  St.  Clair  on  the  north,  and  westward  to  a  Hne 
the  general  course  whereof  shall  be  six  miles  distant 
from  the  west  end  of  Lake  Erie  and  Detroit  River.  "^^ 
Wayne's  victory  gave  the  United  States  undisputed 
control  of  the  Indians  of  the  Northwest,  and  the 
British  now  had  no  excuse  to  retain  the  posts.  They 
made  one  more  attempt,  however,  to  delay  the  trans- 
fer of  the  posts.  Lord  Dorchester,  April  23,  1796, 
thought  that  the  provisions  of  the  treaty  made  with 
the  Indians  did  not  agree  with  the  provisions  of  the 
Definitive  Treaty  of  1783.  His  Majesty's  minister  at 
Philadelphia  accordingly  was  instructed  "to  require  an 
explanation  on  this  subject.  .  .  .  Till,  therefore, 
the  same  shall  be  satisfactorily  terminated,"  he  wrote, ^^ 
'T  shall  delay  the  surrender  of  the  posts."  The  mat- 
ter was  speedily  adjusted  and  the  posts  turned  over  to 
the  Americans. 

In  1788  it  was  computed  that  four  thousand  people 
were  dependent  on  Detroit,  including  the  settlers  at 
the  River  Raisin,  thirty  miles  below,  where  there  were 
about  forty  Canadians.  Robertson,  at  a  hearing  at 
Quebec,  reported  that  he  did  not  remember  the  num- 
ber of  farms  in  the  Detroit  region,  but  they  extended 
along  the  west  bank  of  the  Detroit  River  a  computed 
distance  of  four  miles  below  and  twelve  above  the 
town,  and  about  the  same  distances  on  the  opposite 
bank.  There  was  also  a  new  settlement  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Huron  River,  near  Lake  Erie.^''^ 

Among  the  public  buildings  in  the  Detroit  settle- 

85.  Amer.  State  Papers,  Indian  Affairs,  I,  562 ;  Mich.  Hist.  Colls., 

XXVI,  279. 

86.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXV,  116. 

87.  Ibid.,  XI,  636. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  121 

ment  were  two  French  churches  (the  English  had  no 
church  at  this  time  in  the  Upper  Country),  a  barracks, 
a  Government  house,  a  council  house,  and  a  navy 
dock-yard  and  necessary  buildings. ^^ 

The  lax  methods  of  agriculture,  long  practiced  by 
the  French,  had  reduced  greatly  the  fertility  of  the 
soil,  but  it  still  produced  good  yields  of  wheat,  corn, 
peas,  and  oats.  Hemp  was  grown  in  m.any  places, 
likewise  hops,  and  it  was  said  that  flax  also  was  found 
to  succeed.  There  was  an  abundance  of  tim.ber  for 
the  building  of  houses  and  ships.  Fine  red  cedar  was 
cut  on  the  islands  of  Lake  Erie  and  used  for  the  con- 
struction of  vessels.  No  attempt  was  made  to  export 
timber.  ^^ 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  period  of  British  occu- 
pancy, the  population  at  Detroit  became  more  varied 
in  its  composition  than  heretofore.  The  committee  of 
Quakers  that  visited  the  settlement  in  1793  reported 
that  there  was  a  mixed  population  of  French,  German, 
EngHsh,  Irish,  Scotch,  Yankee,  Indians,  and  Negro. ^° 
Their  characterization  of  the  French  Canadians  is 
much  like  that  of  previous  travelers  and  observers. 
They  report  that  the  French  in  general  were  poor 
economists,  and  lived  in  miserable  houses;  yet  they 
"appeared  grand  abroad."  They  were  told  that  the 
French  lived  much  on  fish  and  wild  game,  and  that 
they  were  "superstitiously  reHgious,  going  to  mass 
more  than  two  hundred  days  in  the  year."  It  was 
expected  by  many  that  the  English  and  Germ.an 
farmers  would  change  for  the  better  the  m.anner  of 

88.  Ihid.,  638. 

89.  Ibid.,  635. 

90.  Ibid.,  XVII.  284. 


122  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

living  and  the  customs  in  the  places,  but  they  found 
the  old  French  settlers  were  influenced  but  little  by- 
contact  with  the  new  settlers. ^^  As  necessity  required, 
more  land  was  cleared  near  Detroit.  By  1793  most  of 
the  neighboring  region  was  improved,  with  houses, 
orchards,  and  gardens.  The  back  part  of  most  of 
the  farms  was  cleared,  and  aboimded  in  grass  on  which 
numerous  cattle  thrived.  Butter,  cheese,  beef,  and 
veal  were  plentiful. ^^ 

When  compared  with  the  American  frontier  settle- 
ments, however,  the  growth  of  the  Detroit  region  was 
slow.  Jacob  Lindley,  one  of  the  committee,  reported 
that  the  progress  of  population  was  obstructed  "not 
only  by  the  wet,  unhealthy  state  of  the  country,  but 
also  by  other  circumstances,  viz.,  one-seventh  of  the 
country  was  reserved  for  the  crown;  one-seventh  for 
the  Episcopal  clergy;  and,  according  to  an  old  law  of 
Canada,  all  real  estate  was  required  to  be  sold  at  the 
chapel  door  at  stated  time  and  one-ninth  of  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  land  so  sold  went  to  the  Roman  Church. "^^ 
According  to  McNiff,  an  early  surveyor  at  Detroit, 
there  were  other  causes  that  retarded  the  taking  up  of 
land  by  settlers.  According  to  the  methods  of  survey 
along  the  navigable  lakes  and  rivers,  only  two  farm 
lots  could  be  granted  in  the  front,  two  in  the  second, 
and  twelve  in  the  third  concession.  The  people  desired 
to  be  near  the  water  front,  and  would  not  settle  on 
the  back  concessions  because  of  the  expense  and  labor 
of  making  roads.  ^*     Still  another  cause  was  the  almost 

91.  Ibid.,  594. 

92.  Ibid.,  593. 

93.  Ibid.,  609. 

94.  Ibid.,  XXIV,  85. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  123 

unlimited  claims  made  to  land  by  various  people  by 
virtue  of  Indian  grants. ^^  Between  1763  and  1796 
about  four  hundred  families  settled  on  grants  of  land 
obtained  from  the  Indians.  In  1765  Patrick  Sinclair 
purchased  foiu*  thousand  acres  lying  along  the  St.  Clair 
River.  Between  1771  and  1777  four  thousand  acres 
below  Detroit  were  purchased  by  Canadians.  lii  1776 
Pierre  Combe  bought  four  thousand  acres  on  the 
La  Riviere  a  I'Ecorse  and  settled  ten  families  on 
them.  William  Macomb  in  the  same  year  purchased 
Grosse  Isle  and  Stoney  Island,  six  thousand  acres,  and 
established  ten  tenants  on  them.^^  A  Canadian  in  1779 
purchased  of  the  Indians  eight  thousand  acres  on  Otter 
Creek.  In  1780  Joseph  Benac  secured  six  thousand 
acres  on  La  Creque  (Sandy  Creek) ,  on  which  he  settled 
in  1792.  In  the  same  year  thirty-eight  small  tracts 
were  settled  along  the  River  Rouge  and  at  Point  au 
Tremble.  In  1782  nineteen  families  settled  on  land  ad- 
jacent to  that  of  Sinclair,  and  the  next  year  twenty 
families  settled  near  by.  In  1784  one  hundred  and 
twenty-one  families  settled  on  the  River  Raisin,  and  in 
1786  Francois  Pepin  piu-chased  three  thousand  acres 
on  the  La  Riviere  aux  Roches.  Other  tracts  were  taken 
up.^^  McNiff  says  that  "when  settlers  came  from  the 
states,  instead  of  being  placed  on  waste  lands  of  the 
town  they  are  told  that  such  and  such  tracts  were  the 
property  of  individuals  by  virtue  of  purchase  of  the  In- 
dians, and  that  there  was  no  land."  Many  returned 
to  the  States  or  bought  land  at  an  enormous  price, 
paying  one  thousand  pounds  for  one  hundred  acres. 

95.  Ibid. 

96.  Stoney  Island  (see  map,  Chapter  VII). 

97.  Amer.  State  Papers,  Public  Lands,  I,  265. 


124 


HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 


DGirroit  I79G. 


ft-ori.     A^.Ch     P'O^eer-  SoC  ,<:1  :f    Co/.       /o/.^. 


Detroit  ix  1796 
{From  Mich.  Pioneer  Collection,  III.) 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  125 

Many  were  kept  out  by  the  reports  spread  at  Fort 
Pitt  that  there  was  no  free  land  in  Michigan,  that  all 
was  claimed  by  a  few  individuals.^^ 

By  1796  much  of  the  land  in  southeastern  Michigan 
along  the  rivers  and  lakes  had  been  taken  up  from  the 
Indians.  The  nucleus  of  this  settled  region  was  the 
palisaded  fort  at  Detroit,  with  dwellings  thickly  placed 
about.  Within  six  or  eight  miles  of  the  fort  to  the 
north  and  south,  the  narrow  farms  of  the  original  French 
grants  made  the  settlement  compact,  but  beyond  this  the 
houses  were  more  and  more  isolated.  Scott's  Gazetteer 
describes  Detroit  in  1797  as  being  "the  largest  and 
best  fortified  town  in  the  Northwest  Territory."  'Tt 
consists,"  it  says,^^  "of  several  paralleled  streets,  which 
are  crossed  by  others  at  right  angles.  The  streets  are 
narrow  and  in  the  rainy  season,  dirty.  .  .  .  The 
town  is  about  one  thousand  feet  in  length  but  scarcely 
that  in  breadth.  It  is  picketed  around,  having  block 
houses  at  each  gate.  It  has  four  gates,  two  leading 
to  the  wharves,  which  are  erected  along  the  river. 
.  There  belongs  to  this  place,  one  brig  and 
twelve  schooners.  The  schooners  are  larger  than  those 
trading  between  the  Atlantic  ports  and  the  West 
Indies.  The  vessels  here  are  employed  in  trading  be- 
tween Fort  Erie,  Michillimackinac,  and  Detroit."  Bur- 
net described  Detroit  in  1796  as  follows. ^°°  'Tt  had 
been  for  many  years  the  depot  of  the  fur-trade  of  the 
northwest  and  the  residence  of  a  large  niunber  of 
English  and  Scotch  merchants,  who  are  engaged  in  it; 

98.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIV,  85. 

99.  Scott's  Gazetteer,  article  "Detroit." 

100.     Ross  and  Catlin,  Landmarks  of  Wayne  County  and  Detroit, 
257. 


126  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

and  it  was  of  course  a  place  of  great  business.  The 
greater  part  of  the  merchants  engaged  in  the  fur 
trade  both  Scotch  and  EngHsh  had  their  domiciles 
in   Detroit." 

Isaac  Weld,  an  Irish  traveler,  visited  the  Lakes 
region  in  his  tour  of  the  United  States  and  Canada  in 
1795  and  1796.  He  was  a  keen  observer  and  a  truth- 
ful writer.  He  describes  the  settlement  as  follows  :^°^ 
"Detroit  contains  three  hundred  houses  and  is  the 
largest  town  in  the  western  country.  It  stands  con- 
tiguous to  the  river  on  the  top  of  the  banks,  which 
are  here  about  twenty  feet  high.  At  the  bottom  of 
them  there  are  very  extensive  wharfs  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  shipping,  built  of  wood.  The  town 
consists  of  several  streets  that  run  parallel  to  the 
river,  which  are  intersected  by  others  at  right  angles. 
They  are  all  narrow,  and  not  being  paved  are  dirty  in 
the  extreme  whenever  it  happens  to  rain.  .  .  . 
About  tw^o-thirds  of  the  inhabitants  are  French  and 
the  greater  part  of  the  people  on  the  river  above  and 
below  the  town  are  of  the  same  description.  The 
farmers  are  mostly  engaged  in  trade  and  they  all 
appear  to  be  much  on  an  equalit3^  Detroit  is  a  place 
of  very  considerable  trade;  there  are  no  less  than 
twelve  trading  vessels  belonging  to  it,  brigs,  sloops,  and 
schooners,  of  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  tons  burden 
each.  The  inland  water  in  this  quarter  is  very  ex- 
tensive. Lake  Erie,  three  hundred  miles  in  length, 
being  open  to  vessels  belonging  to  the  port,  on  the 
one  side,  and  lakes  Michigan  and  Huron  on  the  other 

101.     Ross  and  Catlin,  Landmarks  of  Wayne  County  and  Detroit, 
255-256;  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  213. 


DETROIT  UNDER  THE  BRITISH  127 

.  .  .  not  to  Speak  of  Lake  St.  Clair  and  Detroit 
River.  .  .  .  The  stores  and  shops  of  the  town  are 
well  furnished  and  you  may  buy  fine  cloth,  linens, 
.  .  .  and  every  article  of  wearing  apparel  as  good 
in  their  kind,  and  on  nearly  as  reasonable  terms,  as 
.     .     .     in  New  York  or  Philadelphia." 


CHAPTER  VI 
The  Americans  Assume  Control 
(1796-1818) 

WHEN  it  became  evident  that  the  American  Gov- 
ernment was  to  come  into  possession  of  the 
region  so  long  held  by  the  British,  the  British  subjects 
at  Detroit  were  brought  face  to  face  with  the  problem 
of  choosing  the  nation  to  which  they  should  become 
attached  in  the  future.  "The  ties  which  bind  human 
wards  to  the  Government,  laws,  and  character  to  which 
they  had  been  accustomed"  were  strong  enough  to 
induce  many  to  move  to  Canada  and  remain  British 
subjects.  A  large  number  of  the  wealthy  English  and 
Scotch  merchants  removed,  and  purchased  land  just 
across  the  Detroit  River.  Many  British,  however,  re- 
mained at  Detroit.  In  either  case  their  action  was 
guided  quite  largely  by  the  belief  that  they  would 
secure  liberal  treatment  in  regard  to  gifts  of  land  from 
the  respective  Governments  they  selected.  The  British 
Government  was  very  liberal  in  granting  lands  to  any 
who  would  move  to  Canada.  A  gratuitous  concession 
of  two  hundred  acres  awaited  all  who  would  choose  to 
settle  in  British  territory.^ 

General  Simcoe  imagined  that  this  would  induce  all 
the  British  to  leave  Detroit.     It  seems,  however,  that 


1.     Amer.  State  Papers,  Miscellaneous,  I,  461. 


THE  AMERICANS  ASSUME  CONTROL  129 

the  grants  of  land  made  by  the  British  did  not  include 
in  all  cases  a  right  in  perpetuity  from  the  first,  and  the 
property  sooner  or  later  would  be  given  to  the  persons 
making  the  right  use  of  the  lands.  Under  such  condi- 
tions it  seemed  certain  to  some  observers  that  if '  "the 
conduct  of  the  American  Government  towards  these 
families  should  be  such  as  the  interests  of  America 
dictate,"  there  would  be  little  probability  that  any 
great  nimiber  would  leave  "their  long  cultivated 
estates  merely  for  .the  desire  of  living  under  the  British 
dominion."  Unfortunately  for  the  good  of  the  Detroit 
settlement  at  this  time,  the  disposal  of  lands  to  settlers 
about  Detroit  was  much  delayed  by  the  complexity 
of  titles  to  the  lands.  The  United  States  Government 
appointed  commissions  to  inquire  into  titles  of  lands 
at  Detroit.  It  was  found  that  there  were  "nearly 
thirteen  good  titles"  in  the  whole  of  southeastern 
Michigan,  and  that  the  remainder  "abounded  in  de- 
fects which  must  be  deemed  fatal."- 

The  titles  to  lands  in  southeastern  Michigan  were 
found  to  be  of  six  classes : 

(1).  Grants  made  by  the  French  governors  of  Canada 
and  confirmed  by  the  King. 

(2).  Those  made  in  same  way  but  not  confirmed  by 
the  King. 

(3).  Those  obtained  through  occupancy  by  permis- 
sion of  the  French  commanding  officer.  In  these  there 
were  no  confirmations  and  no  grants,  but  the  title  rested 
on  long  and  imdisturbed  possession. 

(4).  Those  held  as  the  result  of  occupancy  during 
French  regime.     No  permission  to  occupy  the  lands 

2.    Ibid. 
17 


130  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

had  been  granted  but  there  had  been  long  and  undis- 
turbed possession. 

(5).  A  large  number  obtained  in  a  similar  way  while 
the  region  was  under  the  British. 

(6).  Those  held  by  virtue  of  occupancy  since  the 
region  had  been  under  the  control  of  the  United 
States. 

The  treatment  of  such  a  perplexing  problem  required 
considerable  foresight  on  the  part  of  the  officials  who 
had  it  in  charge.  The  anxiety  and  confusion  of  per- 
sons interested  in  the  growth  of  Detroit  was  especially 
great.  Sandwich  and  Amherst  burg  which  had  grown 
up  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Detroit  River,  struggled 
hard  to  attract  settlers  from  American  territory.  The 
critical  moment  came  when  fire  in  1805  wiped  out 
every  house  in  the  American  settlement  within  an 
hour.  There  was  great  danger  that  the  superiority 
of  the  Canadian  towns  would  be  established,  and  when 
once  established  it  would  take  years  for  Detroit  to 
regain  its  position.^ 

Both  Governor  Hull  and  Chief  Justice  Woodward 
saw  the  necessity  of  quick  action,  and  visited  Wash- 
ington. They  prevailed  upon  Congress  to  grant  home- 
steads to  the  fire  sufferers,  and  an  Act  was  passed  giv- 
ing the  Governor  and  the  Chief  Justice  power  to  lay 
out  a  new  town  and  convey  a  lot  therein  to  any  person 
over  seventeen  years  of  age  who  at  the  time  of  the 
fire  had  owned  or  inhabited  a  house  in  the  old  town.* 
Thus  harmony  was  established  and  assurance  given 
that  the  land  question  at  Detroit  would  be  settled  to 

3.  Ibid.,  I,  264. 

4.  Cooley,  Michigan,  153. 


THE  AMERICANS  ASSUME  CONTROL  131 

the  satisfaction  of  all,  and  the  supremacy  of  Detroit 
among  the  settlements  on  the  "Straits"  was  assured.^ 
The  question  of  titles  of  land  outside  Detroit  was 
settled  shortly  afterward,  the  people  securing  quit- 
claim deeds  to  the  land  they  occupied.  They  were 
thus  encouraged  to  make  lasting  improvements. 

American  emigration  to  southeastern  Michigan  be- 
gan shortly  after  1796.  Previous  to  .this  time  the 
British  had  taken  special  pains  to  discourage  the  com- 
ing of  American  settlers;  but  with  the  withdrawal  of 
the  British  forces  and  the  settling  of  the  complex 
question  of  land  titles,  the  region  was  open  for  settle- 
ment, and  every  year  saw  a  few  Americans  straggling 
in.  The  movement,  however,  did  not  reach  any  great 
magnitude  until  after  1818,  which  marked  the  begin- 
ning of  steam  navigation  on  Lake  Erie  and  the  open- 
ing of  a  land  office  in  Detroit.*^  In  1802  Detroit  was 
given  a  certain  dignity  by  being  incorporated  as  a 
"town,"  and  the  same  year  there  was  established  a 
regular  mail  with  Washington.  These  innovations  were 
doubtless  the  result  of  the  enterprise  of  the  newcomers 
from  the  East.  Gradually  the  old  methods  and  preju- 
dices of  the  French  were  moulded  under  the  influ- 
ence of  American  methods,  but  the  process  was  slow 
for  American  settlers  were  few  in  number.  In  1805 
the  population  of  Detroit  numbered  only  551.'^  There 
were  still  in  1810  so  many  French  in  the  Territory  unable 
to  read  English  that  they  petitioned  to  have  the  laws 
of  the  United  States  published  in  the  French  language.^ 


5.  Amer.  State  Papers,  Miscellaneous,  I,  264. 

6.  See  Chapter  VIII. 

7.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXVII,  450. 

8.  Amer.  State  Papers,  Miscellaneous,  I,  71. 


132  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

In  1810  the  total  population  of  Michigan  Territory 
numbered  only  4762.^  About  750  of  these  were  in- 
habitants of  Detroit.^"  A  few  families  were  gathered 
about  the  rapids  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  and  at  Mackinac, 
the  remainder  were  in  southeastern  Michigan,  scat- 
tered between  Lake  St.  Clair  and  the  northern  bound- 
ary of  Ohio.  During  the  War  of  1812,  there  were 
few  settlers  between  the  River  Raisin  and  the  rapids 
of  the  Maumee  River,  many  having  fled  to  Ohio  and 
Detroit." 

In  Ohio,  settlements  were  confined  to  the  southern 
and  eastern  portions  of  the  State.  The  south  shore  of 
Lake  Erie  in  1810  was  settled  as  far  west  as  Cleveland.^- 
To  the  west,  however,  between  Cleveland  and  San- 
dusky there  were  in  1812  only  a  few  scattered  settlers 
along  the  lake  shore.  These  were  separated  from 
settlers  in  southeastern  Michigan  by  large  areas  of 
forests  and  swamps.  The  line  of  communication 
between  Detroit  and  these  settlements  was  across  Lake 
Erie  or  through  a  roadless  wilderness.  Moreover,  to 
reach  Detroit  from  these  settlements  by  land,  a  long 
detour  about  the  west  end  of  Lake  Erie  and  the 
Great  Black  Swamp  was  necessary. ^^  From  Fort 
Maiden,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit  River,  whither  the 
British  had  withdrawn  after  the  evacuation  of  Detroit, 
hostile  forces  could  easily  be  sent  across  the  river  to 
cut  off  any  weakly  guarded  supply  train  on  the  over- 

9.     Twelfth  Census,  I,  Population,  Part  I,  24,  25. 

10.  Variously  estimated  at   150  to  200  houses.     Niles^  Weekly 

Reg.,  IV,  47;  Heriot,  Travels  Through  Canada,  24. 

11.  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  IV,  47  (Mar.  20,  1813). 

12.  See  maps. 

13.  For  description  and  origin  of  this  swamp  see  Chapter  XI. 


THE  AMERICANS  ASSUME  CONTROL 


133 


land  journey  from  Ohio.  A  strong  force  was,  there- 
fore, necessary  to  keep  open  the  Hne  of  land  communi- 
cation. At  that  time  httle  agriculture  was  practiced 
in  the  settlements  about  Detroit,  and  the  people  and 
garrison  had  to  depend  on  Ohio  for  most  of  their  sup- 
plies. The  most  logical  line  of  com.munication  between 
the  settled  part  of  the  United  States  and  this  outpost 
was  by  the  Detroit  River  and  Lake  Erie.  The  nation 
that  could  control  Lake  Erie  could  also  control  Detroit 


1800      ^7t.6 


E3  6  ^.  /  J- 


Distribution   of  Population  in  the 
Lakes  Region  in  1800 
{From  Statistical  Atlas,  Ninth  Cettsus,  XVL) 


and  Michigan.  The  Americans  had  few  vessels  on  the 
Lakes  at  this  time  and  Fort  Maiden  at  the  entrance  to 
Detroit  River  completely  controlled  all  water  traffic 
between  Lake  Erie  and  Detroit.  The  mouth  of  the 
river  is  about  four  miles  wide,  but  the  only  navigable 
channel  for  the  larger  vessels  lay  between  Bois  Blanc 


134  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

Island  and  the  Canadian  mainland.^'*  All  large  vessels 
were  obliged,  therefore,  to  pass  almost  under  the  guns 
of  Fort  Maiden. 

In  the  one  hundred  and  more  years  that  the  Euro- 
peans had  been  interested  in  the  commerce  of  the 
Detroit  region,  little  had  been  done  to  bring  the 
region  into  closer  communication  with  the  Atlantic. 
The  isolation  of  the  region  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard 
in  the  first  decade  of  the  nineteenth  century  is  well 
shown  by  the  difficulties  met  by  Governor  Hull  and 
family  in  the  journey  to  Detroit  to  take  up  the  duties 
of  his  office.  From  Albany  their  route  was  up  the 
Mohawk  River,  over  the  Rome  Portage  to  the  Otsego 
River,  thence  to  Lake  Ontario.  This  Lake  they  trav- 
ersed in  small  boats.  From  the  site  of  Lewiston  to 
Buffalo  the  route  was  overland.  At  Buffalo  they  found 
a  vessel  which  carried  them,  in  the  course  of  four  or 
five  days,  to  Detroit.  Before  they  reached  the  Lakes, 
civilization  had  been  left  behind;  on  every  hand  was 
the  wilderness. ^°  But  distance  was  not  the  worst 
factor  in  the  isolation  of  Detroit.  To  the  north  was  a 
nation -not  at  all  friendly  to  the  United  States.  In  the 
wilderness  all  about  were  bands  of  Indians  still  friendly 
to  the  British,  still  trading  with  Montreal  fur  com- 
panies, still  receiving  presents  annually  from  the  British 
military  authorities  at  Maiden.  The  Indians  were,  in 
reality,  pensioners  of  the  English  Government;  if  war 
should  break  out,  they  were  sure  to  take  the  part  of 
their  old  ally.     Hull,  in  his  report  to  the  Secretary  of 

14.  See  map,  Chapter  VII.     (Improvements  have  been  made 

lately). 

15.  Amer.  State  Papers,  Ind.  Affairs,  I,  746. 


THE  AMERICANS  ASSUME  CONTROL  135 

War  in  1807,  wrote  that  the  British  had  previously 
had  the  Indians  in  conference,  and  that  they  informed 
them  that  a  war  would  soon  take  place  between  the 
British  and  the  Americans  and  asked  them  to  take  up 
the  hatchet  against  the  Americans. ^^  He  plainly  saw 
that  in  the  event  of  war  the  little  settlement  on  the 
very  frontier  of  civilization  would  be  encompassed  by 
foes  so  nimierous  and  bloodthirsty  that  they  might 
overwhelm  it  and  destroy  it  before  assistance  could  be 
rendered,  as  the  British  were  in  full  control  of  Lake 
Erie.  In  1808,  in  a  communication  to  Congress,  Hull 
again  pointed  out  the  exposed  condition  of  the  settle- 
ment and  suggested  the  building  of  arm.ed  vessels  on 
the  Lakes  to  protect  the  communication  to  the  Terri- 
tory. In  1811  for  a  third  time  he  told  the  Secretary 
of  War  that  the  Canadian  forces  in  the  region  num- 
bered twenty  to  one  of  the  Americans,  again  pointed 
out  the  isolated  position  of  the  post,  the  lack  of  suffi- 
cient communication,  and  the  need  of  an  armed  force 
on  Lake  Erie.  Early  in  1812  Governor  Hull  was 
given  command  of  a  body  of  soldiers,  mainly  Ohio 
militia,  which  was  to  be  sent  to  Detroit  to  strengthen 
the  garrison  there.  They  left  Dayton,  Ohio,  on  May 
25,  and,  constructing  their  road  as  they  went,  reached 
the  rapids  of  the  Maumee  the  latter  part  of  June.  As 
there  were  no  adequate  roads  between  the  Maumee 
River  and  Detroit,  Hull  loaded  his  baggage,  hospital 
stores,  and  invalids  in  a  small  vessel  and  sent  it  on 
from  the  Rapids  towards  Detroit.  The  next  day  Hull 
received  word  that  war  had  been  declared  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  on  the  18th  of 
16.     Ihid.,  I,  746. 


136  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 

the  preceding  month.  When  the  vessel  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  Detroit  River,  it  was  fired  on  by  the 
British  and  easily  taken.  Hull  now  rushed  his  army 
on  to  Detroit  by  forced  marches.^" 

On  July  16  (1812)  the  armed  brig  Caledonia,  carry- 
ing two  hundred  and  fifty  traders  and  agents  of  the 
Northwest  Fur  Company,  and  five  hundred  Indians, 
appeared  before  Fort  Mackinac  (Michillimackinac).^^ 
The  little  garrison  of  fifty-seven  men  was  unprepared 
for  a  siege,  and  surrendered.  The  possession  of  Mack- 
inac by  the  British  at  this  time  was  of  the  highest 
importance  to  them.,  as  by  controlling  Mackinac  they 
controlled  the  m.ajority  of  the  Lake  Indians.  Nothing 
but  a  show  of  force  on  the  part  of  the  Americans  up 
to  this  time  had  held  the  Indians  neutral;  now  they, 
one  and  all,  joined  the  British.  The  Northwest  Com- 
pany, in  participating  in  the  expedition,  was  actuated 
undoubtedly  by  the  desire  to  control  again  the  fur 
trade  centered  at  Mackinac. 

The  consequences  of  the  isolated  position  of  Detroit 
soon  began  to  develop.  A  detachment  of  soldiers, 
having  been  sent  to  Monroe  to  guard  a  company  of 
Ohio  troops  which  was  bringing  provisions  to  the  fort 
at  Detroit,  was  cut  off  and  routed  by  a  force  sent  out 
from  Fort  Maiden.  A  second  force,  this  time  of  six 
hundred  men,  was  sent  out  to  bring  in  a  provision 
train.  This  likewise  was  routed.  In  a  few  days  a  third 
was  sent;  but  before  this  one  returned  a  force  of 
British  appeared  before  the  fort  and  Hull  surrendered. 
Obviously,  the  chief  reasons  for  the  fall   of  Detroit 

17.  Niks'  Wccklv  Reg.,  II,  359. 

18.  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  2i<3. 


THE  AMERICANS  ASSUME  CONTROL  137 

were  its  isolated  position  and  the  failure  of  the 
United  States  Government  to  provide  an  adequate 
force  for  its  preservation. 

Maiden,  likewise,  suffered  from  its  isolated  position 
when  war  was  carried  to  Canadian  soil.  It,  too,  was 
cut  off  from  land  communication  with  the  base  of  sup- 
plies to  the  east,  by  hundreds  of  miles  of  forests. 
Provisions  for  the  troops  had  to  be  brought  from  the 
lower  St.  Lawrence,  and  much  even  from  far-away 
England.  The  natural  and  only  available  line  of 
communication  was  by  lake  and  river.  Proctor,  there- 
fore, watched  with  anxiety  the  result  of  the  battle 
between  the  two  fleets  on  Lake  Erie.  Nearly  every 
pound  of  his  provisions  had  to  be  supplied  from  the 
East,  and  could  be  delivered  only  under  the  convoy 
of  a  strong  naval  force.  He  had  with  him  one  thou- 
sand men  and  three  thousand  five  hundred  Indians, 
all  of  whom  had  to  be  fed  from  British  stores.  He 
delayed  the  attack  on  Perry,  because  his  vessels  were 
poorly  manned  and  reinforcements  from  Montreal  were 
expected  to  arrive  at  any  time,  until  the  British  forces 
were  "so  perfectly  destitute  of  provisions  .  .  .  that 
there  was  not  a  day's  flour  in  store  and  the  crews  of 
the  squadron  .  .  .  were  on  half  an  allowance  of 
many  things,  and  when  that  was  done  there  was  no 
more."^^  The  defeat  of  the  British  fleet  on  Lake  Erie 
was  the  death  knell  to  the  possession  of  Detroit  by 
the  British,  for  the  Americans  now  controlled  the 
line  of  communication  to  the  East  by  way  of  the 
Lakes. 

The  difficulties  experienced  by  both  the  Am.ericans 

19.     Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXV,  525  (Colonial  Office  Papers). 


13S  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

and  the  British  in  fitting  out  their  fleets  in  preparation 
for  the  battle  that  should  decide  the  control  of  Lake 
Erie  bespoke  the  isolation  of  the  Northwest  at  that 
time.  Proctor  wrote  to  Prevost,  August  26,  1813,  as 
follows,-''  "Your  excellency  speaks  of  seamen  valorous 
and  well  disciplined.  Except  I  believe  the  twenty- 
five  whom  Captain  Barclay  brought  with  him,  there 
is  none  of  that  description  on  this  lake,  at  least  on 
board  his  Majesty's  vessels.  Men  are  scarce  enough 
and  of  a  miserable  description  to  work  the  vessels, 
some  of  which  cannot  be  used  for  want  of  hands." 
Meanwhile,  Perry  at  Presque  Isle  was  being  retarded 
by  the  seeming  neglect  of  the  Navy  Department. 
People  grew"  weary  looking  to  Lake  Erie  for  the  sailing 
of  the  flotilla.  Niks'  Weekly  Register  of  July  31,  1813, 
reports,-^  "The  anchors  for  the  sloops  of  war,  it  ap- 
pears, left  Philadelphia  only  last  week  and  an  Erie 
paper  of  June  16  tells  us  that  Capt.  Perry  has  received 
information  of  the  seamen  being  on  their  way  to  man 
his  little  fleet.  The  British  have  launched  a  new 
vessel  at  Maiden  to  carry  twenty-four  guns  and  it 
would  seem  as  if  our  flotilla  was  to  wait  until  she  is 
ready." 

During  the  War  of  1812,  the  Northwest  Company 
rendered  the  British  Government  valuable  service.  A 
fleet  of  canoes,  two  vessels,  and  many  men  were  held 
in  readiness  on  the  Upper  Lakes  to  aid  the  British 
forces  should  the  occasion  arise.  It  has  already  been 
noted  that  nearly  the  entire  force  that  captured  Mack- 
inac was  composed  of  Indians  and  employes  of  the 

20.  Ibid.,  XV,  360. 

21.  X ties'  Weekly  Reg.,  IV,  354. 


THE  AMERICANS  ASSUME  CONTROL  139 

Northwest  Company.  According  to  the  terms  of  Jay's 
treaty,  the  British  fur  merchants  were  to  be  allowed 
to  trade  in  the  Lakes  region  until  1812.  The  North- 
west Company  had  extended  its  operations  far  to  the 
west  of  Lake  Michigan,"  coUecting  furs  in  the  Missouri 
Territory  to  the  west  of  St.  Louis. ^^  Most  of  the  furs 
from  this  latter  region  were  carried  to  Montreal  by 
way  of  the  Straits  of  Mackinac.  The  capture  of 
Mackinac,  therefore,  gave  it  full  control  of  the  fur 
trade  over  a  vast  region,  and  left  it  in  the  enjoyment 
of  it  d,uring  the  War  of  1812.  Natiu-ally  at  the  close 
of  the  war  the  company  was  reluctant  to  see  such  a 
prize  slip  from  its  grasp.  On  March  28,  1815,  Mc- 
Gillivray,  a  member  of  the  Northwest  Company,  wrote 
General  Prevost,-*  "On  negotiating  a  commercial  treaty 
with  the  United  States,  as  they  have  much  to  ask  for, 
it  is  still  in  the  power  of  the  [British]  government  to 
make  some  stipulations  by  which  British  subjects  may 
be  permitted  to  carry  on  trade  from  Canada  to  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri  by  way  of  Michillimackinac 
and  for  relieving  the  said  trade  from  at  least  a  part 
of  the  present  duties  which  amount  to  about  thirty 
per  cent  on  all  goods  imported  into  the  United  States 
and  the  Indians  country,  and  which  of  itself  if  con- 
tinued would  operate  as  a  prohibition."  In  a  mem- 
orial sent  to  the  officials  on  April  20,  1815,  two  of  the 
leading  Montreal  fur  merchants  asked  the  British 
official  in  charge  to  please  "reconsider  the  question  of 
dehvery  of  the  posts  of  Michillimackinac  to  the  Ameri- 

22.  See  Chapter  V. 

23.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXV,  217. 

24.  Ihid.,  XVI,  67  {Ottawa  Papers). 


140  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

cans,  unless  he  has  instructions  from  his  Majesty's 
Government  positively  directing  the  speedy  delivery  of 
the  Post  of  MickiUimackinac  by  name  and  not  by 
general  words  conveying  implications  that  the  said 
Post  is  intended."  Then  they  show  how  two  articles 
in  the  treaty  may  be  construed  so  as  to  retain  the 
post  until  the  commissioners  who  were  to  decide  the  loca- 
tion of  the  boundary  at  various  places  had  acted. -^ 

This  may  explain  why  the  British  delayed  the  de- 
livery of  the  posts  in  1815,  so  that  Colonel  Butler, 
June  1,  1815,  was  compelled  to  write  to  the  officer  at 
Michillimackinac .-®  "More  than  three  months  have 
elapsed,"  he  wrote,  "since  the  ratification  of  the  treaty 
of  Ghent  and  altough  every  disposition  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States  has  been  manifest  for  executing  that 
treaty  still  the  delivery  has  been  delayed  and  avoided 
on  the  part  of  the  government  of  Great  Britain." 

In  1809  John  Jacob  Astor  and  others  succeeded  in 
getting  the  American  Fur  Company  incorporated  by 
the  New  York  Legislature,  with  a  capital  of  c>  1,000, 000. 
The  growth  of  the  company  at  first  was  slow,  for  there 
were  several  fur-trading  companies  in  the  field.  It  was 
not  until  after  1815,  after  the  United  States  Congress 
had  passed  an  Act  (in  winter  of  1815-16)  excluding 
foreign  companies  from  engaging  in  the  fur  trade  in 
the  United  States,  and  after  John  Jacob  Astor  had 
by  financial  deals  merged  some  of  the  other  companies 
with  his  own,  that  the  American  Fur  Company  came 
to  be  the  leading  company  of  the  interior  of  the  United 
States.     Michillimackinac  was  the  center  of  the  trade 


25.  Ibid.,  XVI,  77,  78  {Ottawa  Papers). 

26.  Ibid.,  XVI,  123. 


THE  AMERICANS  ASSUME  CONTROL  141 

for  the  Lakes  region.  Here  Astor  brought  together 
m.any  clerks  and  voyageurs  from  Montreal,  long 
schooled  in  the  services  of  the  British  companies. 
The  goods  used  by  the  American  Fur  Company  were 
bought  in  England  and  came  by  way  of  Montreal. 
From  Montreal  they  were  transported  in  batteaux  to 
the  Lakes  region,  mostly  by  way  of  the  Ottawa  route. "^ 
The  company  continued  for  a  long  tim.e  to  import 
most  of  the  goods  used  in  the  Indian  trade  from  Eng- 
land. Buckingham  states  that  this  was  the  case  as 
late  as  184L  ''The  blankets,"  he  says,-^  "cannot  be 
manufactured  to  suit  the  Indian's  taste  as  well  any- 
where else."  The  American  Fur  Company  estab- 
lished posts  at  m.any  points  along  the  shores  of  the 
Lakes,  one  of  the  more  important  posts  being  at 
Detroit.  Many  of  the  towns  of  Michigan  situated  at 
the  mouths  of  rivers  and  near  the  Lakes  owe  their 
early  start  to  the  fur  trade  of  this  period. 

Detroit,  in  the  early  decades  of  its  history  as  an 
American  town,  was  unfortunate  in  being  visited  by 
both  fire  and  war.  The  fire  of  1805,  as  previously 
stated,  destroyed  every  house  in  the  town.  During  the 
war  the  whole  region  was  pillaged,  houses  burned,  and 
crops  destroyed.  The  financial  resources  of  the  set- 
tlers were  exhausted.  The  economic  conditions  of  all 
frontier  towns  are  of  such  a  nature  that  such  calami- 
ties bear  particularly  hard  upon  the  sufferers.  The 
people  of  the  frontier  have  always  been  the  debtor 
class.  Money  has  been  borrowed  to  start  various 
enterprises.     The  frontiersman  is  self-reliant,  over-con. 

27.  Ibid.,  VI,  343  (Lieut.  Kelton,  U.  S.  Army). 

28.  Buckingham,  The  Eastern  and  Western  States  of  America,  III, 

356. 


142  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

fident.  He  has  high  aspirations.  His  outlook  upon 
the  problems  and  the  destiny  of  the  town  or  the  region 
with  which  he  happens  to  be  associated  is  broad. 
Guided  by  such  feelings  and  aspirations  he  is  likely 
to  build  big,  often  the  superstructure  is  too  large  for 
the  foundation  to  support.  Should  adversity  come, 
the  results  are  inevitable.  Obligations  cannot  be  met, 
banks  fail,  a  financial  crisis  follows.  Over -investment 
and  land  speculation  on  the  frontier  have  been  con- 
tributing causes  to  several  financial  panics.  Money 
has  generally  been  a  scarce  commodity  on  the  frontier. 
What  is  borrowed  goes  back  to  the  manufacturing 
East  to  pay  for  tools,  machinery,  and  other  equip- 
ments. At  the  close  of  the  War  of  1812  most  of  the 
settlers  had  no  money  with  which  to  buy  the  necessi- 
ties of  life.  Business  and  trade  were  slack.  It  took 
several  years  to  overcome  the  effect  of  the  war. 

The  unsettled  condition  of  the  country  during  the 
War  of  1812  also  deterred  emigration.  Another  potent 
cause  for  the  slow  migration  was  the  spread  of  informa- 
tion that  the  Detroit  region  was  unhealthful.  Dwight, 
ex-President  of  Yale  University,  reported  in  his  travels 
in  1804  that  the  situation  of  Detroit  was  unhealthful, 
"not  from  the  waters  of  the  lakes  but  from  the  marshes 
which  line  its  borders."-^  About  1815  the  United 
States  surveyors  reported  as  their  deliberate  judgment 
"that  Michigan  was  unfit  for  cultivation,  an  irreclaim- 
able marsh  and  wilderness,  which  was  not  worth  the 
expense  of  a  survey."^" 

It  took  many  years  to  break  down  the  prejudices 

29.  D\vight,  Travels  in  New  England  and  New  York,  IV,  78,  79. 

30.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  V,  24,  535.     Full  discussion  in  Chapter 

VII. 


THE  AMERICANS  ASSUME  CONTROL  143 

created  by  such  reports.  The  behef  was  countenanced 
by  geographers  and  the  writers  of  the  emigrant  Guides 
of  the  time.  The  travelers  Blowe,  Evans,  and  Darby, 
did  much  to  break  down  the  prejudices  by  spreading 
glowing  accounts  of  the  region  in  New  England  and 
other  parts  of  the  East.  John  Farmer's  maps  of  1826 
and  later,  much  in  demand  by  people  seeking  homes 
in  the  Interior,  showed  more  nearly  than  ever  before 
the  true  conditions  of  the  land  in  Michigan  and  the 
Detroit  region.  The  Territorial  newspapers  of  these 
years  also  did  a  wonderful  work  in  directing  the  migra- 
tion, the  Detroit  Gazette  being  one  of  the  more  active 
of  such  agents. 

The  opening  of  a  United  States  land  office  in  Detroit 
in  1818  in  response  to  a  petition  from  the  citizens  of 
the  town  did  much  to  bring  in  settlers. ^^  The  first 
sales  took  place  in  September  of  that  year. 

In  1818  Evans,  who  visited  the  town,  reported  that 
the  trade  was  considerable  and  was  rapidly  increasing. 
The  city  had  begim  to  transact  business  over  a  wide 
area.  Besides  the  business  carried  on  with  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  Territory  and  with  the  Indians  of 
the  neighborhood,  it  had  trade  intercourse  with  the 
upper  parts  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  and 
also  with  the  inhabitants  of  Canada.  'Tn  the  siunmer 
season,"  he  says,^^  "there  is  a  considerable  concourse  of 
strangers  from  the  Eastern  States  by  way  of  Buffalo. 
These  furnish  considerable  simis  as  passage  money  to 
the  ship  owners.     In  the  spring  of  the  year  the  Indians 

31.  Niks'  Weekly  Reg.,  XIV,  151  (Apr.  25,  1818). 

32.  Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  VII,  222;  Wis.  Hist.  Colls., 

VIII,  211  (Gen.  Ellis's  Recollections). 


144  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

resort  thither  to  dispose  of  their  furs  and  to  make  their 
purchases.  Indeed  a  considerable  part  of  the  trade 
is  in  furs,  many  being  brought  from  Chicago  and 
Green  Bay."  Darby  says,^^  "Detroit  is  now  a  place 
of  extensive  commerce  with  all  the  attributes  of  a 
seaport;  it  forms  the  uniting  link  between  the  vast 
interior,  inhabited  as  yet  by  savages,  and  the  civilized 
Atlantic  seaboard."  Daniel  Blowe  reported  the  town 
as  "a  place  of  considerable  trade."  Previous  to  his 
visit  several  wooden  piers  to  accommodate  the  grow- 
ing Lake  traffic  had  been  built,  one  of  which  was  one 
hundred  and  forty  feet  long  and  could  accommodate 
a  vessel  of  four  hundred  tons  burden.  He  was  sur- 
prised at  the  size  and  number  of  the  stores  in  the 
town,  and  the  large  stock  of  goods  which  they  carried. 
One  could  buy  cloth,  linen,  and  every  article  of  wear- 
ing apparel  as  good  in  their  kind  as  in  New  York 
and  nearly  as  cheap. ^■^  A  newspaper  had  been  estab- 
lished, called  the  Detroit  Gazette.  Niles'  Weekly  Regis- 
ter in  1818  comments  on  this  as  follows  :^^  "It  is 
pleasant  to  observe  the  progress  of  improvement.  We 
have  before  us  a  very  neat  newspaper  published  at 
Detroit,  a  striking  evidence  of  the  business  transacted 
at  that  important  station,  which,  no  doubt  will  soon 
be  a  large  city."  The  town  contained  770  inhabi- 
tants, and  the  district  (Southeast  Michigan),  2,227. 
Besides  the  fort  there  were  many  public  buildings, 
including  a  bank,  a  council  house,  a  jail,  a  printing 
office,  a  warehouse,  and  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. ^^ 

32).  Darby,  Tour  from  New  York  to  Detroit,  190. 

34.  Blowe,  Emigrant's  Directory,  696. 

35.  Mies'  Weekly  Reg.,  XII,  339  (Feb.  28,  1818). 

36.  Worcester's  Gazetteer,  article  "Detroit." 


THE  AMERICANS  ASSUME  CONTROL  145 

Detroit  was  beginning  to  be  a  m.arket  for  the  prod- 
ucts of  the  various  river  settlem.ents.  Farm.ers  as  far 
away  as  the  Raisin  River  sent  their  produce  to  De- 
troit. The  prices  current  at  that  time  were,  flour  $12 
per  barrel,  pork  $26  per  barrel,  corn  and  wheat  $2 
per  bushel,  and  other  things  in  proportion.^"  These 
prices  were  high  for  the  frontier  and  bespoke  an 
active  market  and  a  limited  supply.  Evans  says  there 
was  great  need  of  Yankee  farmers,  for  with  their 
knowledge  of  agriculture  and  their  industry  they  could 
in  a  very  short  tim.e  acquire  a  handsome  estatd.  The 
French  had  no  ambition  to  excel  in  "this  honorable  and 
profitable  calling."  The  region  was  not  yet  self-sup- 
porting. Large  sums  were  paid  for  produce  which 
had  to  be  transported  across  the  Lake  from  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio.^^ 

There  were  few  roads  as  yet,  and  facilities  for  land 
transportation  were  not  well  developed  for  many  years. 
The  Lakes  were  not  much  used,  and  travelers  were 
obliged  to  take  advantage  of  the  occasional  schooner 
from  Buffalo  westward.  Darby,  in  his  visit  to  Detroit 
in  1818,  had  a  tedious  voyage  of  eleven  days  on  a 
schooner  from  Buffalo. ^^  A  writer  in  Niles'  Weekly 
Register  in  1833  says,  "The  few  sailboats  then  [1818] 
on  these  waters  were  supposed  to  have  done  well  if 
they  made  the  trip  from  Detroit  to  the  foot  of  the 
lake  in  the  time  that  is  now  required  for  a  packet  to 
make  the  trip  to  Liverpool. ^° 

The  separation  by  both  water  and  land  from  the 

37.  Niks'  Weekly  Reg.,  XIII,  96  (Oct.  4,  1817). 

38.  Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  VIII,  219  (Evans). 

39.  Darby,  Tour  from  N.  Y.  to  Detroit,  172. 

40.  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  XLIV,  95. 

19 


146  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

East  had  an  important  bearing  on  the  route  of  trade 
and  the  social,  poHtical,  and  commercial  affiliations  of 
the  city.  The  population  of  the  city  at  the  beginning 
of  the  American  period  was  distinctly  foreign,  and  the 
isolation  made  it  difficult  to  overcome  these  tendencies. 
It  was  politically  and  commercially  an  isolated  com- 
munity with  few  ties  of  interest  to  unite  it  with  "the 
sovereignty  of  which  it  formed  a  part."  Darby,  writ- 
ing about  1818,  says,"  "Much  of  the  association  is 
formed  with  and  a  great  part  of  the  trade  is  yet  to- 
wards a  foreign  state." 

The  frontier  character  of  Detroit  was  well  reflected 
in  the  primitive  conditions  of  life,  in  trade,  commerce, 
and  customs.  Much  of  the  trade  was  still  b}^  barter. 
A  merchant  "selling  out"  in  1820  demanded  that  his 
debtors  settle  in  cash,  beans,  or  flour.  Prices  for  pro- 
duce were  high.  Small  industries  were  practiced  even 
by  those  who  were  employed  in  public  service  and  in 
the  professions.  The  postmaster  cultivated  seeds  for 
sale.  There  were  few  or  no  public  utilities.  Drinking 
water  was  carried  from  the  river  in  pails  or  barrels. 
For  fire  protection  barrels  with  handles  were  used  to 
carry  w^ater.  French  conservatism  stood  in  the  way 
of  progress.  The  French  would  not  sell  their  property 
for  lots  and  they  opposed  the  widening  of  streets."*^ 
The  value  of  real  estate  was  very  low.  Belle  Isle  was 
bought  in  1817  by  Mr.  Campau  for  $5000  and  "paid 
for  in  bank  notes  of  a  broken  Ohio  bank."  This  price 
was  considered  large  for  that  time.  "Indeed,"  as  one 
writer  puts  it,"^  "to  pay  seven  dollars  for  a  lot  by  the 

41.  Darby,  Tour  from  N.  Y .  to  Detroit,  188. 

42.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXVIII,  553. 

43.  Ibid.,  XVIII,  646. 


THE  AMERICANS  ASSUME  CONTROL  147 

side  of  the  town  hall  was  considered  the  act  of  a  luna- 
tic." Many  Indians  still  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  De- 
troit as  late  as  1818,  and  the  streets  were  generally 
crowded  with  Indians  of  one  tribe  or  another,  who 
collected  there  to  sell  their  furs  and  skins.  The  town 
was  still  enclosed  in  a  palisaded  fence,  and  at  night 
all  Indians  who  were  not  admitted  into  private  houses 
and  remained  there  quietly  were  driven  out  of  town."*^ 
As  is  common  in  small  communities,  democracy 
reigned  supreme,  common  interests  uniting  the  people 
in  a  big  village  family.  Mrs.  Palmer  says,"*^  "Our 
society  in  those  days  consisted  of  army  officers,  their 
wives,  the  old  French  families,  and  the  few  Americans. 
We  were  all  friends,  Indians,  soldiers,  French,  and 
Americans.  All  sociable  and  interested  in  each  other." 
Evans  remarks,^^  "In  Detroit  there  is  much  good 
society;  and  hospitality  is  a  characteristic  trait  in  the 
character  of  the  people."  The  few  Americans  were 
gradually  changing  the  aspect  of  things.  A  new  era 
was  dawning.  Schools  were  being  established.  A 
lyceum  was  in  existence.  The  Territorial  Legislature 
in  1817  passed  a  bill,  framed  by  Augustus  B.  Wood- 
ward, creating  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  the 
buildings  were  now  already  nearing  completion. ^^  The 
commercial  relations  of  Detroit  began  to  be  with  the 
East  rather  than  with  Montreal  and  Quebec.  Much 
was  hoped  of  the  Erie  Canal,  upon  which  excavation 
was  begun  in  1817.  The  arrival  of  the  steamboat  in 
1818,  and  the  completion  of  the  Erie  Canal  in  1825, 

44.  Daniel  Blowe,  Emigrant's  Directory,  896. 

45.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XIV,  537. 

46.  Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  VIII,  218  (Evans). 

47.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXIX,  131. 


148  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

ushered  in  a  period  of  active  emigration.  Slowly  the 
savage  tribes  retired,  and  civilized  m.an  felled  the 
forests  and  established  his  home  over  the  wide  area 
to  the  west  of  Detroit,  which  scarce  a  dozen  years 
before  was  believed  an  impassable  m.orass.  About  1818 
serious  attempts  were  made  to  penetrate  the  region  to 
the  west  and  northwest  of  Detroit  with  a  view  to 
settlement.  During  both  the  French  and  English 
regim.es,  settlers  desiring  land  for  tillage  were  few,  and 
settlements  were  confined  for  the  most  part  to  the 
lands  immediately  along  the  streams.  Little  was 
known  of  the  interior  of  the  State,  except  the  narrow 
areas  along  the  few  streams,  as  the  Clinton,  Rouge, 
and  Huron  rivers,  or  along  the  Indian  trails.  The 
swampy  nature  of  the  land  in  the  spring  and  fall,^^ 
and  the  dense  vegetation  of  the  summer,  served  to 
check  travel  and  exploration  in  this  region.  It  is 
stated  that  many  Americans  who  had  gathered  at 
Detroit  after  the  War  of  1812,  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  up  land  to  the  west  of  the  town,  became  dis- 
heartened by  the  prospects  and  left  to  seek  homes 
elsewhere.'*^  In  the  early  fall  of  1818  a  party  of  Ameri- 
cans at  Detroit  ''resolved  to  penetrate  into  the  interior 
and  ascertain  whether  the  country  was  or  was  not 
habitable."  The  party  followed  the  road  then  being 
built  by  the  United  States  soldiers,  which  had  reached 
a  point  about  four  miles  from  the  Detroit  River. 
From  there  they  were  led  by  an  Indian  guide  along  a 
trail  to  the  site  of  Pontiac.  The  report  which  these 
men  brought  back  "electrified  the  hearts  of  the  Ameri- 

48.  See  Chapter  VII. 

49.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  Ill,  565. 


THE  AMERICANS  ASSUME  CONTROL  149 

cans  in  Detroit  and  utterly  astonished  the  French. "°° 
"The  first  settlement  formed  in  the  interior  was  by 
a  few  families  who  had  moved  into  the  Territory  from 
Upper  Canada  and  ascended  what  was  then  called  the 
Upper  Huron  (now  the  Clinton)  River,  some  ten  or 
fifteen  miles  from  its  mouth.  They  settled  on  an  'oak 
opening'  and  raised  an  excellent  crop  of  wheat.  They 
had  been  there  a  year  or  more  before  it  was  generally 
known  in  Detroit,  and  the  fact  was  regarded  as  a 
remarkable  instance  of  enterprise  and  hardihood. "^^ 
The  next  settlement  made  was  Pontiac.  From  this 
time  on  the  tide  of  immigration  steadily  increased  from 
year  to  year.^- 

About  1818  it  was  the  alleged  intention  of  the  Gov- 
ernment to  reduce  the  military  forces  at  the  fort  at 
Detroit.  The  Americans  at  Detroit  took  active  meas- 
ures to  prevent  such  action.  They  maintained  that 
the  strategic  position  of  Detroit  was  too  important  to 
warrant  the  withdrawal  of  the  troops.  At  that  time 
the  sores  caused  by  the  late  war  were  not  yet  healed. 
It  was  still  a  fundamental  belief  of  the  people  of  Mich- 
igan that  the  Canadians  and  British  in  general  were 
enemies  to  be  treated  with  suspicion.  A  strong  force 
at  Detroit  was  necessary  to  protect  the  town  and 
shield  settlers  coming  to  Michigan  from  possible  British 
intervention  and  Indian  hostility.  Such  a  force  would 
tend  to  hold  the  Indians  of  Michigan  in  check  in  time 
of  war,  for  Detroit  controlled  the  route  the  Indians 
took  to  Amherstburg  (Fort  Maiden)  for  their  presents 

50.  Ibid.  (Thomas  Drake). 

51.  Ibid.,  II,  38;  XV,  12. 

52.  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  XLV,  2. 


150  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

and  the  disposal  of  some  of  their  furs.  Detroit,  with 
Fort  Gratiot  (built  in  1814),  shared  with  Fort  Maiden 
the  conamand  of  the  "Straits"  from  Lake  Erie  to  Lake 
Huron.  It  exercised,  therefore,  some  control  of  the 
Upper  Lakes  country  and  the  trade  of  the  region  to 
the  west  of  the  Lakes.  In  the  event  of  war  Detroit 
was  a  strategic  point  from  which  to  invade  Canada, 
for  it  could  command  the  roads  which  led  to  Sand- 
wich and  Amherstburg,  and  thus  could  control  a  large 
part  of  the  settled  area  of  western  Canada."  The 
War  Department  was  persuaded  fully  of  the  impor- 
tance of  the  post,  and  a  garrison  was  maintained  until 
1827,  when  the  fort  was  razed. 

53.     Amer.  State  Papers,  Miscellaneous,  II,  597. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Local  Geography  of  the  Detroit  Region 

TT7ITH  the  exploration  and  settlement  of  the  region 
'  '  to  the  west  of  the  Detroit  River  and  Lakes  St.  Clair 
and  Erie,  the  physiographic  features,  soil,  and  mineral 
resources  of  Southern  Michigan  began  to  be  factors 
in  the  development  of  Detroit.  For  more  than  one 
hundred  years  this  region  had  furnished  the  people 
little  more  than  logs  for  buildings  and  vessels;  fuel; 
fresh  meat,  and  furs  for  clothing  and  for  commerce. 
The  French  and  English,  however,  used  the  region  in 
the  way  their  economic  needs  demanded.  With  the 
coming  of  the  American  settlers  a  different  economic 
order  was  instituted  and  a  different  demand  was 
made  on  the  resources.  The  new  demand  was  for 
land  on  which  crops  could  be  raised,  homes  built,  and 
industries  developed.  To  the  American  settlers,  the 
forests  were  obstructions  to  be  removed  by  the  easiest 
and  quickest  means  to  get  to  the  soil.  Incidentally, 
however,  the  forests  furnished  logs  for  lum.ber,  rails 
for  fences  and  fuel  for  the  household  and  for  a  time 
for  the  industries.  It  is  only  in  recent  decades  that 
the  mineral  resoiirces  are  being  exploited  actively. 

Detroit  is  located  on  the  eastern  edge  of  a  till  plain 
on  which  there  are  low  recessional  moraines  of  clay 
and  sand,  boulder  belts,  beach  ridges,  sand  bars  and 
spits,  and  low  dunes.  This  plain  extends  from  Lake 
Huron   southwestward  about   the  west  end  of  Lake 


152  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

Erie  into  northwestern  Ohio,  and  is  really  a  portion 
of  thQ  plains  that  almost  everywhere  border  the  Great 
Lakes.  In  southeastern  Michigan  this  plain  is  from 
sixteen  to  twenty-five  or  more  miles  wide,  and  has  a 
very  gentle  slope  to  the  southeastward.  It  is  singu- 
larly devoid  of  any  marked  elevations  or  depres- 
sions. The  western  border  of  the  plain  (lowest  Mau- 
mee  Beach)  lies  about  770  feet  above  sea  level  and  the 
eastern  border  about  590  feet,  making  an  average  slope 
of  about  eight  or  nine  feet  per  mile.^  Most  of  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  plain  has  a  slope  of  only  three 
to  five  feet  per  mile. 

This  till  plain  is  bordered  on  the  west  by  a  pronounced 
ridge,  the  Defiance  Moraine,  of  rough  topography,  the 
knolls  of  which  vary  in  altitude  from  840  to  900  feet, 
or  from  70  to  120  feet  above  the  western  margins  of 
the  plain.  The  eastern  slope  of  this  morainic  ridge  is 
much  steeper  than  the  western.  To  avoid  the  high 
knolls  and  the  heavy  grades  many  of  the  trans-state 
railroads,  radiating  from  Detroit,  find  it  advantage- 
ous to  cross  this  morainic  belt  along  the  larger  river 
valleys. 

To  the  west  of  the  Defiance  Moraine  over  most  of 
the  southern  half  of  the  Southern  Peninsula  of  Michi- 
gan, the  topography  consists  of  till  plains,  outwash 
plains,  kames,  eskers,  valley  trains,  and  low  reces- 
sional moraines. 

In  a  strip  along  the  eastern  margin  of  this  broad 
area,  in  the  Interlobate  Morainic  region,  the  knob  and 
kettle  type  of  topography  dominates.  The  numerous 
depressions  are  occupied  by  small  lakes.     These  lakes 

1.     Data  from  Sherzer,  Geology  of  Wayne  Co.,  75. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  153 

regulate  the  flow  of  water  in  the  streams  that  receive 
their  overflow,  serve  as  fishing  grounds,  and  the  higher 
lands  on  their  borders  offer  excellent  sites  for  summ.er 
hom.es. 

The  dominant  topographic  features  of  the  plains 
are  the  result  of  glaciation.  During  a  large  part  of 
the  glacial  period,  southeastern  Michigan  lay  beneath 
hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of  feet  of  ice.  Over  much 
of  the  area  a  thick  deposit  of  boulder  clay  acctimu- 
lated  (ground  moraine),  the  upper  part  of  which  was 
leveled  to  a  plain,  hence  the  term  till  plain.  The 
boulder  clay  is  soft  when  wet,  and  has  a  tendency  to 
flow  and  creep  under  its  own  weight.  The  Michigan 
Rock  Salt  Company  was  forced  to  abandon  one  of 
its  shafts  at  Ecorse  in  1902  because  of  the  flowage  of 
the  glacial  clay  at  a  depth  of  eighty  feet.  The  engineers 
of  the  Detroit  River  Tiuinel  were  forced  to  make  the 
bore  of  the  tunnel  more  nearly  circular  than  at  first 
planned  in  order  to  enable  the  casing  of  the  tunnel  to 
stand  the  pressure  resulting  from  the  creep  of  the 
clay.-  There  are  in  many  places  lenticular  masses  of 
quick-sand  and  gravel  within  the  clay,  which  when 
charged  with  water  likewise  have  a  tendency  to  flow, 
making  deep  piling  for  tall  buildings  necessary.  In 
the  construction  of  the  Penobscot  Building  at  Detroit 
layers  of  quick-sand  were  encountered  and  the  com.- 
pany  was  put  to  an  extra  expense  of  $20,000  to  secure 
a  safe  foundation.  Such  lenses  of  sand  and  gravel  are 
not  in  all  cases  unmitigated  evils,  for  they  furnish  a 
copious  supply  of  w^ater,  when  tapped,  for  domestic 
purposes.^ 


2.  Ihid.,  51,  279. 

3.  Ihid.,  294. 


154  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

The  retreat  of  the  ice  front  down  the  slope  of  the 
plain  was  slow,  undoubtedly,  and  lakes,  the  waters  of 
which  came  from  the  melting  glacier,  were  formed 
between  the  ice  front  and  the  higher  lands  to  the 
west  and  northwest.  The  shore  lines  of  these  lakes 
are  characterized  by  beach  ridges,  bars,  and  spits  of 
gravel  and  sand.  The  beach  ridges  have,  roughly,  a 
northeast-southwest  trend  and  are  much  used  for 
roads,  sites  for  farm  buildings,  churches,  and  ceme- 
teries, and  furnish  gravel  for  metaled  and  concrete 
roads.  Some  of  these  beach  ridges  occur  within  the 
city  limits  of  Detroit.* 

These  minor  topographic  features  lie  on  the  till  plain, 
the  surface  of  which  seems  to  have  been  little  modified 
by  the  waves  and  currents  of  the  lakes,  and  on  which 
little  lacustrine  material  was  deposited.  At  a  few 
places  lake  clay  was  deposited  in  shallow  depressions 
on  the  till  plain.  This  clay  is  generally  free  from 
pebbles  and  is  well  suited  to  the  making  of  brick  and 
tile.     It  is  sticky  and  tenacious,  but  when  wet  is  easily 

4.  It  may  be  interesting  to  note  that  these  ridges  in  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  of  the  settlement  were  observed  as  early  as 
1793  by  Jacob  Lindley  (his  visit  noted  in  a  previous 
chapter)  and  called  lake  ridges.  "This  day,"  he  says, 
"I  walked  out  a  mile  into  the  woods  where  my  further 
excursion  was  prevented  by  swamps,  bogs,  and  marshes. 
In  my  route  I  foimd  stones  in  diverse  places  such  as  are 
found  upon  borders  of  lakes.  The  land  is  generally  al- 
most sunk  under  water.  My  mind  was  strongly  im- 
pressed with  the  belief  that  lakes  Erie,  St.  Clair,  Huron, 
and  Michigan  were  once  united  and  that  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  acres  of  low  adjacent  lands  were  all  overflowed. 
By  the  breaking  and  wearing  away  of  the  great  falls  *  * 
the  water  has  been  lowered  to  the  present  surface." 
{Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVII,  609).  The  true  explanation 
of  these  ridges  did  not  become  a  part  of  physiographic 
science  until  seventy  or  more  years  later. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  155 

worked  to  a  soft  plastic  mass.  It  is  to  the  lake  clay 
more  than  to  the  glacial  clay  that  the  wretched  condi- 
tion of  the  roads  leading  out  of  Detroit  from  the  early 
decades  of  American  occupation  down  to  very  recent 
times  is  to  be  ascribed.  These  poor  roads  were,  no 
doubt,  a  factor  in  suggesting  the  attempts  made  in 
the  early  thirties  to  develop  a  water  route  between 
Detroit  and  Rawsonville  and  Ypsilanti  on  the  Huron 
River,  and  the  recent  great  expenditures  in  the  con- 
struction of  macadamized  and  cement  roads  centering 
at  Detroit.  No  doubt  they  have  been  no  small  factor 
in  swelling  the  passenger  mileage  of  the  several  inter- 
urban  railroads  centering  at  Detroit. 

During  the  retreat  of  the  ice,  little  deposition  of 
rock  material  took  place  and  what  moraines  were 
deposited  are  largely  "water-laid,"  of  slight  relief  and 
gentle  slopes.  The  most  important  of  these  moraines, 
for  this  study,  is  the  Detroit  Moraine,  a  broad  clay 
ridge  on  which  Detroit  stands.  This  moraine  was 
deposited  by  the  Lake  St.  Clair  Lobe  when  the  ice 
front  stood  at  Detroit.  Belle  Isle  and  the  low  clay 
ridge  on  which  Windsor  is  built  are  portions  of  the 
same  moraine.  The  highest  part  of  this  ridge  in 
Detroit  is  on  Woodward  Avenue  near  the  city  limits, 
where  the  sand-covered  surface  reaches  an  altitude  of 
636  to  638  feet,  or  about  62  feet  above  the  river  level. 
This  ridge  slopes  rather  gradually  northeast,  south- 
east, and  southwest.^  Most  of  the  surface  of  the 
groimd  in  the  business  section  of  Detroit  has  an  eleva- 
tion of  about  600  feet  above  sea  level.  The  top  of  the 
bluff  on  which  Fort   Pontchartrain   stood,   within  a 

5.     Sherzer,  Geol.  of  Wayne  Co.,  83. 


156  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

few  rods  of  the  present  river  bank,  likewise  has  an 
elevation  of  about  600  feet.  This  is  the  highest  land 
to  be  found  anywhere  near  the  west  bank  of  the 
Detroit  River. *^  There  are  only  two  other  areas  near 
the  west  bank  of  the  Detroit  River  that  approach 
this  elevation,  a  sandy  ridge  on  which  Fort  Wayne  is 
built  and  another  at  Wyandotte  and  Ford,  each  of 
which  is  slightly  more  than  580  feet  in  altitude.  The 
need  of  a  post  to  control  the  Indian  trade  of  the  Upper 
Lakes  and  trade  and  travel  along  the  Maumcc-Wabash 
route  determined  that  Detroit  should  be  located  some- 
where on  the  Detroit  River,  but  a  recessional  moraine 
determined  its  particular  location  on  that  river. 

There  are-  several  boulder  belts  on  the  plains,  but 
the  concentration  is  not  great  enough  to  render  the 
land  unsuited  for  agriculture.  The  boulders  of  these 
belts,  unlike  the  boulders  of  the  ground  moraine,  are 
chiefly  of  crystalline  rock  and  are  much  used  for  build- 
ing purposes. 

Although  the  water-laid  moraines,  beach  ridges,  bars, 
spits,  and  boulder  belts  are  minor  topographic  features, 
they  are  of  sufficient  elevation  to  influence  greatly  the 
drainage  of  the  plain.  Because  of  the  flatness  of  the 
plain,  the  whole  area  is  poorly  drained,  and  before  the 
forests  were  cut  off,  allowing  winds  and  sunshine  to 
increase  evaporation,  and  before  the  construction  of 
ditches  and  drains,  it  was  covered  with  nimierous  shal- 
low ponds  and  marshes  for  four  or  more  months  each 
year.  The  swamps  afforded  -breeding  places  for  the 
mosquito  which  we  now  know  is  the  cause  of  the  pre- 
valence of  the  malaria  and  ague  for  which  this  Detroit 

6.     Note  600'  contour  on  map. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY 


157 


Detroit  River  and  Part  of  Lake  Erie 
Showing  contours  and   altitudes   near  the    Detroit    River, 
depths  of  water,  and  main  ship  channels  in  the  Detroit  River. 
The  channel  to  the  west  of  Bois  Blanc  island  is  the  Livingstone 
Channel. 


158  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

region  was  notorious.  It  was  this  poorly  drained  plain, 
that  had  to  be  crossed  in  going  to  the  west  and  north- 
west of  Detroit,  that  led  travelers  and  surveyors  to 
believe  that  all  Michigan  was  a  morass.  In  going 
northeastw^ard  or  southwestward  along  Lake  St.  Clair 
or  the  Detroit  River,  the  beach  ridges  of  the  ancient 
lakes,  wherever  followed,  furnished  a  dry  path  or  road 
for  most  of  the  year.  In  traveling  westward  or  north- 
westward from  Detroit,  the  trend  of  the  beaches  is 
such  that  these  naturally  drained  ridges  could  not  be 
utilized.  Today  farmers  and  gardeners  on  the  plain 
experience  difficulty  in  draining  their  lands  by  tiling, 
the  movement  of  the  water  being  so  slow  that  the  tile 
becomes  clogged  with  mud  and  sand  in  a  short  time.'^ 
The  plain  floods  easily  and  in  wet  years  many  crops 
are  partially  or  wholly  drowned.  Losses  from  this 
cause  are  rarely  serious  however.  There  are  few  large 
rivers  on  the  plain,  and  since  the  surface  level  is  only 
a  slight  distance  above  the  base  level  of  the  drainage 
systems,  the  streams  have  a  low  gradient  and  have 
developed  shallow  valleys.  In  several  of  the  descrip- 
tions of  the  Detroit  region  in  the  early  periods,  men- 
tion is  made  of  grist  mills. ^  Most  of  these  were  un- 
doubtedly run  by  wind  power. ^  Weld,  who  visited 
Detroit,  in  1796,  commenting  on  this,  said,^"  "The 
country  around  Detroit  is  uncommonly  fiat  and  in 
none  of  the  rivers  is  there  sufficient  fall  to  turn  even  a 


7.  Sherzer,  Geol.  of  Wayne  Co.,  129. 

8.  A^.  y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  806;  CampbeU,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  74; 

Wis.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVI,  252. 

9.  See  Chapter  III. 

10.     Quoted  by  Ross  and  Catlin,  Landmarks  of  Wayne  Co.  and 
Detroit,  257. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  159 

grist-mill."  In  the  western  portion  of  the  plain  and  in 
the  hilly  region  to  the  west  the  gradient  of  the  streams 
is  much  greater  than  near  the  Detroit  River.  The 
Chnton,  Rouge,  Huron,  and  Raisin  are  the  principal 
rivers  flowing  across  the  plain  in  southeastern  Michi- 
gan. At  various  points  along  the  upper  and  middle 
courses  of  these  streams,  dams  have  been  constructed 
for  the  conservation  of  the  water  power.  The  Huron 
River  furnishes  more  power  than  any  of  the  others, 
draining  as  it  does  a  large  area  to  the  west  of  the 
Defiance  Moraine  in  which  are  numerous  lakes.  More 
than  seventy-five  glacial  lakes  have  surface  drainage 
into  the  Huron  River  and  its  tributaries.  The  power 
developed  is  used  in  gristmills  or  for  the  generation  of 
electricity  consumed  in  the  towns  along  or  near  the 
rivers.  There  is  little  possibility  that  the  industries 
of  Detroit  will  ever  be  served  with  power  from  these 
streams.  In  spite  of  the  niunerous  lakes  in  the  basins 
of  these  rivers,  the  flow  is  irregular,  the  floods  of  early 
spring  not  infrequently  destroying  dams  and  carrying 
away  bridges.  The  lower  courses  of  the  large  rivers 
of  the  plains  are  drowned.  During  a  portion  of  the 
Algonquin  stage  and  again  in  the  Nipissing  stage  of 
the  ancient  Great  Lakes,  much  of  the  drainage  of  the 
Upper  Lakes  was  diverted  from  the  St.  Clair-Detroit 
outlet.  The  surface  level  of  Lake  Erie,  Detroit  River, 
and  Lake  St.  Clair  was,  therefore,  much  lower  than  at 
present,  and  the  rivers  of  southeastern  Michigan  cut 
their  channels  down  in  accordance  with  this  level. 
With  the  restoration  of  drainage  through  this  outlet, 
the  lower  courses  of  the  rivers  of  southeastern  Michi- 
gan were  drowned.     The  differential  upHft,  which  the 


160  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

region  at  present  is  undergoing,  has  likewise  been  a 
contributing  cause  for  the  drowning."  The  drowning 
results  in  a  deep  mid-channel  in  the  stream,  low  marshy 
banks,  and  dead  water  (except  as  moved  by  the  wind) 
in  the  lower  courses.  Government  improvements  have 
made  the  Raisin,  Rouge,  and  Clinton  rivers  deep 
enough  for  most  of  the  lake  vessels  to  navigate  for  a 
distance  of  from  one-half  to  two  miles  from  the  mouths. 
During  the  British  period  of  control  of  the  Detroit 
region,  most  of  these  rivers  were  used  as  harbors.  A 
British  official  in  1800  wrote  that  at  that  time  water 
on  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  Clinton  River  was  of 
"sufficient  depth  for  Gunboats  and  Tow  Galleys"  to 
pass.  Above  the  bar,  vessels  could  "lie  safely  at  any 
place  from  the  river's  mouth  ten  or  twelve  miles  up 
the  country  in  the  midst  of  a  strong  settlement,"  and 
"on  the  River  Rouge  between  Detroit  and  Lake  Erie 
vessels  of  an}^  size"  could  be  moored;  large  vessels 
were  being  fitted  out  incessantly.  He  reported  that 
fourteen  vessels  were  being  built  and  armed  by  the 
Americans  on  the  Rouge  within  a  few  miles  of  Detroit. 
The  River  Huron  was  suitable  at  that  time  for  "small 
Armed  Vessels  of  any  description."^-  For  a  number 
of  years  after  1823,  large  fiat  boats  were  used  to  carry 
goods  between  Detroit  and  Rawsonville  on  the  Huron, 
and  in  1833  and  1834  several  trips  were  made  between 
Detroit  and  Ypsilanti  by  way  of  the  Huron. ^^ 

The  soils  in  the  region  commercially  tributary  to 

11.  Leverett,  Surface  Geol.  and  Agric.  Conditions  of  Southern  Pen- 

insula of  Mich.,  76;  IMich.  Acad.  Sc,  Outline  Hist,  of  Great 
Lakes,  kept.,  1910;  Shcrzer,  Geol.  of  Wayne  Co.,  61. 

12.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XV,  12-13.^ 

13.  Hist,  of  Washtenaiv  County,  117. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  161 

Detroit  in  Southern  Michigan  have  restilted  from  the 
weathering  of  mantle  rock  of  glacial  or  lacustrine 
origin.  Lithologically  the  soils  are  composed  of  ma- 
terial derived  by  mechanical  forces  and  processes  from 
the  crystalline  and  sedimentary  rocks.  The  soils  are 
new,  transported,  and  therefore  mixed.  Glacially  de- 
posited mantle  rock  has  both  physical  and  lithologic 
heterogeneity.  The  lacustrine  deposits  lack  hetero- 
geneity—  a  separation  of  the  clay,  sand  and  gravel 
having  taken  place  during  the  transportation  and 
deposition  of  these  deposits.  Owing  to  the  short  time 
the  soils  have  been  exposed  to  chemical  weathering 
and  solution,  very  little  leaching  has  taken  place. 
They  are,  therefore,  relatively  rich  in  soluble  mineral 
plant  food.  Kedzie  found  from  chemical  analysis  that 
the  glacial  soils  of  Southern  Michigan  were  rich  in 
phosphorus,  containing  more  than  four  times  the 
average  amount  found  in  the  glacial  soils  of  Illinois. -^^ 
The  mineral  content  varies  greatly,  since  the  rocks 
were  derived  from  wide  areas.  The  angularity  of  the 
particles  aids  much  in  the  rapid  formation  of  soil 
solutions.  Angularity,  solubility,  and  lithologic  hetero- 
geneity are  three  dominant  properties  of  the  soils  of 
the  glaciated  region,  of  which  Michigan  is  a  part,  that 
have  helped  to  make  it  a  great  cereal  area  of  America. 
The  water  table  of  the  plain  is  near  the  surface  of 
the  land  most  of  the  year,  and  is  kept  below  the  sur- 
face only  by  thorough  tiling  and  ditching.  Crops 
rarely  suffer  from  drought.  In  the  hill  regions  to  the 
west  of  the  plain,  the  water  table  fluctuates  greatly 
with  the  seasons.     In  the  dry  season  the  water  is  so 

14.     Quoted  by  Hopkins,  Soil  Fert.  and  Per.  Ag.,  98. 
21 


162  HISTORICAL   GE:0GRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

far  below  the  surface  that  crops  are  not  able  in  many 
places  to  secure  water  through  capillary  action. 

No  detailed  survey  of  the  soils  of  the  region  about 
Detroit  has  been  made,  but  surveys  of  the  Pontiac 
and  the  Toledo  areas  give  sufficient  data  to  classify 
most  of  the  soils  of  Southern  Michigan. ^^  Soils  derived 
from  clay  till  are  variously  classed  by  the  United 
States  Biureau  of  Soils  as  clay  loam,  silt  loam,  loam, 
and  in  some  cases  fine  sandy  loam.  Soils  from  sandy 
till  are  classed  as  stony  loam,  gravel,  gravelly  loam, 
and  to  some  extent  sand,  fine  sand,  and  sandy  loam.^^ 

The  soil  of  the  till  and  lacustrine  plain  (Miami  dark 
clay  loam)  is  identical  with  that  of  the  Black  Swamp 
area  of  Ohio.  It  is  derived  from  the  weathered  pro- 
duct of  glacial  and  lacustrine  clay  that  has  been  mixed 
with  great  quantities  of  organic  matter,  which  because 
of  the  moist,  cool  conditions  of  the  plain  grew  rapidly 
and  decayed  slowly.  The  dark  clay  loam  must  be 
thoroughly  drained  to  admit  of  profitable  cultivation. 
It  has  been  foimd  that  when  thoroughly  drained  this 
soil  warms  more  quickly  in  the  spring  than  undrained 
soil,  there  is  a  better  distribution  of  moisture  at  all 
times,  a  better  yield  and  quality  of  product,  and  a 
greater  certainty  of  yield.  The  dark  clay  loam  is  a 
tractable  soil.  It  may  be  worked  tmder  a  wide  range 
of  moist irre  conditions.  The  surface  soil  consists  of 
granular  aggregations  of  clay,  and  when  dried  crimibles 
into  "buckshot"  soil,  due  probably  to  a  high  content 
of  lime.     This  type  of  soil  is  suitable  for  wheat,  com, 

15.  Bureau  of  Soils,  Fourth  Kept.,  1902,  Toledo  Area,  Field  Oper.; 

Fifth  Rept.,  1903,  Pontiac  area,  Field  Oper. 

16.  Lcverett,  Surface  Geol.  and  Agric.  Cond.  in  S.  Pen.  of  Mich., 

80. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  163 

and  grass  and  truck  gardening.  In  som.e  portions  of 
the  plain  the  clay  content  of  the  soil  is  great  and  the 
organic  matter  slight  in  amount.  Such  soil  is  m.uch 
more  difficult  to  manage  and  is  not  so  productive  as 
the  type  described  above.  The  particles  of  clay  are 
small,  making  the  soil  compact  and  almost  impervious 
to  water  and  air.  This  fineness  is  of  value,  for  much 
surface  is  exposed,  so  that  solution  is  at  a  maximtun, 
and  capillary,  hygroscopic,  and  ground  waters  are 
readily  retained.  The  clay  soil  shrinks  and  cracks 
during  the  dry  season  and  destroys  many  of  the  roots 
of  plants.  Under  wet  conditions  the  clay  becomes 
plastic,  runs  together,  and  thus  destroys  the  tilth; 
and  unless  rich  in  humus  and  well  worked,  aeration  is 
poor.  With  proper  handling,  however,  this  soil  is 
durable  and  will  yield  abundant  crops  of  cereals. 
Owing  to  the  flatness  of  the  land,  soil  erosion  on  the 
plain  is  at  a  minimum,  except  along  the  sides  of  the 
valleys.  Indeed  it  is  probable  that  not  enough  erosion 
has  taken  place  to  remove  the  worn-out  soils  fast 
enough  to  maintain  maximum  fertility.  ^^ 

The  soil  of  the  glacial  clay  knolls  and  ridges  (known 
as  Miami  clay  loam)  has  a  high  content  of  clay  and  is 
underlain  by  a  very  stiff  clay.  It  contains  numerous 
boulders  of  crystalline  rocks,  so  numerous  that  much 
work  is  necessary  to  clear  the  fields  before  initial 
tillage.  Because  of  the  steep  slopes  and  the  impervi- 
ous character  of  the  stiff  clay,  there  is  much  run-off, 
resulting  in  soil  erosion  and  in  the  leaching  of  lime 
and  other  soluble  salts  from  the  soil.  The  low  lim.e 
content  undoubtedly  increases  the  rate  of  erosion. ^^ 

17.  Hopkins,  Soil  Fert.  and  Per.  Agric,  61. 

18.  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agric,  Farmer's  Bulletin  No.  20,  p.  7. 


164  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

When  wet,  this  type  of  soil  is  sticky,  heavy,  and 
almost  unworkable.  It  can  be  worked  readily  only 
within  a  narrow  range  of  moisture  conditions.  If 
very  dry  it  is  difficult  to  turn  with  the  plough,  if  wet 
it  forms  large  clods  which  under  the  drying  action  of 
wind  and  sun  harden  so  that  they  are  rarely  reduced 
to  a  granular  condition  except  by  repeated  freezing 
and  thawing  during  the  fall  and  winter.  The  soil  of 
the  clay  knolls,  where  leaching  and  drying  are  most 
active,  is  the  most  troublesom.e.  The  clay  soil  of  the 
hilly  belt  is  adapted  to  general  farming  and  grazing, 
and  when  well  handled  will  yield  good  crops  yearly. 

The  sand  and  gravel  soils  are  found  in  beach  ridges, 
bars,  and  spits  on  the  plain  and  in  morainic  knolls, 
out  wash  plains,  valley  trains,  kames,  and  eskers  in  the 
region  to  the  west.  These  soils  are  well  drained;  in 
fact,  so  pervious  to  water  are  they,  that  crops  often 
suffer  from  drought.  They  are  warm  soils,  contain 
little  humus,  and  since  the  particles  are  large  and  its 
moisture  content  low,  soil  solutions  do  not  form  readily. 
These  soils  are  soon  exhausted  unless  handled  care- 
fully. Abandoned  and  dilapidated  farm  buildings  are 
common  on  these  soils.  It  is  common  on  the  sandy 
and  gravelly  soils  to  allow  fields  to  lie  fallow  for  from 
one  to  four  years. ^^  The  crop  yield  is  low.  Wheat, 
corn,  truck  crops,  fruits — as  cherries,  berries,  peaches, 
apples — and  other  products  are  raised.  Where  there 
is  even  a  small  percentage  of  clay  mixed  with  the  sand 
or  gravel,  making  a  sandy  or  gravelly  loam,  the  soil 
is  much  better.  These  types  are  not  so  hard  and 
sticky  as  the  clay  or  clay  loams  and  not  so  light  as 

19.     Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XIV,  486. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  165 

the  sand  and  gravel  soil.  They  are  easily  managed 
and  combine  the  good  qualities  of  both  the  clay  and 
the  sand  and  gravel  soils.  Sandy  loam  soil  types  are 
widespread  in  Southern  Michigan,  in  the  area  com.- 
mercially  tributary  to  Detroit.  The  loam  soils  are 
adapted  to  the  growing  of  sugar  beets,  cereals,  and 
fruits. 

Silt  occurs  mostly  in  the  valley  bottom.s.  Lithologi- 
cally  it  resembles  somewhat  the  top-soil  of  the  uplands, 
through  which  the  rivers  flow,  but  has  had  additions 
of  hum.us  of  local  origin.  It  is  m.ainly  the  "cream  of 
the  uplands,"  and  since  the  soil  in  the  valley  cam.e 
from,  glacial  soils,  it  is  heterogeneous  in  mineral  com.- 
position.  Rivers  are  few,  and  valleys  poorly  devel- 
oped, owing  to  the  youthful  stage  of  erosion,  hence 
the  silt  soil  is  not  of  great  extent. 

To  the  early  settlers,  the  soil  types  were  distin- 
guished by  the  plant  growth  they  carried,  and  not  by 
their  lithologic  or  genetic  differences.  The  types  dis- 
tinguished were  as  follows: 

(1).  Heavily  tim.bered  lands,  the  forests  consisting 
of  beech,  maple,  elm,  hickory,  and  other  deciduous 
species.  (Such  forests  were  found  on  the  clay  soils  of 
recessional  and  ground  m.oraines). 

(2).  ''Oak  openings,"  having  light  soils  (sand  and 
gravel  in  beach  ridges,  bars,  and  sandy  moraines). 
The  trees  on  such  soils  do  not  grow  in  dense  growths 
and  consequently  such  lands  were  easily  cleared  and 
the  soil  easily  broken  wp.  The  "oak  openings"  were 
among  the  first  to  be  taken  by  incoming  settlers.^® 
These  lands  drain  easily.     The  till  plain,   on  which 

20.     See  Chapter  VI. 


166  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

natural  drainage  is  poor,  could  not  be  cultivated  until 
the  region  was  settled  well  enough  for  concerted  action 
in  drainage  problems.  The  artificial  drainage  of  large 
areas  of  lowlands  was  (and  is)  often  undertaken  by 
townships,  and  even  counties.  In  the  "oak  openings" 
individuals  could  fit  the  land  for  tillage. 

(3).  Marsh  lands,  most  of  which  occur  in  isolated 
basins  (partially  filled  glacial  lakes).  Some  of  these 
partially  filled  basins  are  bordered  by  tree  growths. 
Some  basins  are  not  yet  filled,  and  have  open  pools 
of  water  for  most  of  the  year.  The  marsh  lands  when 
drained  make  the  best  of  truck  garden  lands. 

(4).  Barrens,  sand  dune  ridges,  along  the  old  lake 
beaches,  where  the  soil  is  frequently  shifting,  and  on 
some  of  the  high  sandy  morainic  hills,  where  seepage 
through  the  soil  and  evaporation  by  the  strong  winds 
are  active. 

The  mineral  resources  of  the  Detroit  region  are  few, 
and  the  industries  now  entirely  dependent  on  local 
raw  products  are  not  as  important,  from  the  stand- 
point of  value  of  products,  as  many  others  whose 
localization  is  due  to  factors  other  than  proximity  to 
raw  materials.  It  is  only  during  recent  decades  that 
these  resources  have  been  exploited  to  any  great 
extent.  They  contributed  nothing  to  the  spread  and 
growth  of  population  in  the  region. 

Lake  clay  (previously  described),  which  is  in  general 
free  from  pebbles,  has  during  the  late  decades  been  the 
main  factor  in  the  localization  of  some  two  dozen 
plants  to  the  west  of  Detroit,  making  drain-tile  and 
building-brick.  The  glacial  clay  contains  too  many 
pebbles  to  be  used  for  brick  or  tile.     Some  of  the 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  167 

pebbles  are  of  limestone.  These  when  heated  are 
burned  to  lime;  later  under  the  influence  of  moistiu'e 
the  lime  slacks  and  destroys  the  brick  or  tile.  Some 
attempts  have  been  made  to  crush  the  pebbles  or 
separate  the  clay  from  the  pebbles  by  digesting  the 
glacial  clay  in  water  and  draining  off  the  clay  held  in 
suspension.  These  processes  have  not  proved  entirely 
satisfactory.  Pressed  brick  is  not  manufactured  from 
the  lake  clay,  the  clay  having  a  tendency  to  laminate 
and  thus  weaken  the  brick. -^ 

In  southeastern  Michigan,  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Monroe  and  Wayne  counties  near  the  Detroit  River, 
the  drift  and  lake  deposits  are  so  thin  that  bed  rock 
(limestone  and  dolomite)  is  easily  reached  by  quarries. 
The  dip  of  the  formations  is  toward  the  northwest,  so 
that  bed-rock  at  Detroit  is  reached  only  beneath  from 
100  to  260  feet  of  drift  and  lake  deposits.  The  upper- 
most of  these  formations  is  limestone  (Dundee  forma- 
tion, Devonian  system)  and  was  "the  first  to  be 
recognized  in  the  State  and  utilized  for  building  pur- 
poses and  in  the  manufacture  of  lime."  This  is  a 
fairly  pure  lim.estone  containing  only  small  amounts  of 
iron  compounds,  arenaceous  material,  and  magnesia.^" 
A  dolomitic  limestone  (Monroe  formation,  Silurian 
system)  outcrops  on  Grosse  Isle,  Stoney  Island,  and 
various  other  places  in  the  adjacent  region.  The 
proximity  of  the  outcrops  to  the  Detroit  River  and 
Lake  Erie  is  one  reason  for  their  being  used  for  build- 
ing purposes  and  lime  since  the  early  French  period.-^ 
Burton  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  Cadillac, 

21.  Sherzer,  Geol.  of  Monroe  Co.,  188. 

22.  Sherzer,  Geol.  of  Wayne  Co.,  199. 

23.  Sherzer,  Geol.  of  Monroe  Co.,  95-100. 


168  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

the  first  year  after  his  arrival  at  Detroit,  knew  that 
limestone  could  be  had  a  few  miles  down  the  river 
but  never  made  use  of  the  deposits.^"*  A  writer  about 
1788  says,^^  "The  only  stone  quarry  in  all  that  country 
[Detroit  region]  is  on  an  island  granted  from  the 
Indians;  and  the  people  in  the  fort  and  settlement 
have  been  obliged  for  years  to  buy  all  stone  .  .  , 
necessary  for  their  foundations,  .  .  .  their  cellars, 
chimneys  and  other  purposes  of  the  proprietor  of  the 
quarry."  This  island  was  either  Grosse  Isle  or  Stoney 
Island,  for  outcrops  do  not  occur  on  the  other  islands. 
It  is  only  in  recent  decades  that  the  quarrying  of  stone 
has  become  important.  The  limestone  at  present  has 
many  uses.  It  is  shaped  into  blocks  for  building, 
crushed  for  macadam  roads  and  dustless  and  weedless 
ballast  for  railroads,  burned  to  lime,  and  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  Portland  cem.ent,  while  the  purer 
limestones  are  used  in  the  purification  of  sugar  and  in 
various  chemical  industries.  Several  industries  in  the 
Detroit  region  are  dependent  wholly  or  in  part  on  the 
presence  of  these  limestones  in  southeastern  Michigaii. 
A  limesand  brick  is  made  at  one  plant,  the  lime  being 
obtained  from  the  burning  of  local  limestones,  and  the 
sand  dredged  from  the  bottom  of  Lake  Erie  a  few 
miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit  River. 

Beneath  the  limestone  and  dolomite  are  deposits  of 
salt.  These  have  an  aggregate  thickness  of  more  than 
six  hundred  feet,  and  one  bed  at  the  Oakwood  salt 
mine,  has  a  thickness  of  369  feet  with  only  minor 
seams  of  dolomite.-*^     This  thick  vein  can  be  reached 

24.  Burton,  Fort  Pontchartrain  dit  Detroit,  261. 

25.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XI,  647. 

26.  Sherzer,  Geol.  of  Wayne  Co.,  279. 


LOCAL  GEOGRAPHY  1G9 

1437  feet  below  the  surface.  Much  trouble  from  heavy 
flows  of  water,  flowage  of  wet  clay,  and  excessive 
amounts  of  hydrogen-sulfid  gas,  was  experienced  in 
sinking  this  shaft.  At  other  plants,  salt  is  obtained 
by  making  and  evaporating  artificial  brines.  The  salt 
industry  along  the  Detroit  River  was  not  developed 
in  connection  with  the  limiber  industry,  and  conse- 
quently did  not  decline  with  the  decline  of  the  saw- 
mill. The  proximity  of  the  salt  blocks  to  the  river  has 
enabled  them  to  secure  cheap  coal  by  boat,  and  be- 
cause of  competition  the  freights  by  rail  also  are  low.-^ 
The  salt  and  limestone  deposits  are  utilized  in  the 
preparation  of  baking  soda,  sal  soda,  fused  calcium 
chloride,  caustic  soda,  and  a  hygroscopic  covering  for 
driveways.  These  industries,  dependent  on  local  raw 
material,  although  in  general  located  near  and  not 
within  Detroit,  are  important  in  the  industrial  life 
of  the  city  and  geographically  are  to  be  considered 
among  the  industries  of  the  city. 

27.     See  Chapter  XII. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


A  Century  of  Growth  at  Detroit 


A  LTHOUGH  the  growth  of  Detroit  in  the  last  ten 
'^^  decades  is  in  no  way  remarkable  when  compared 
with  that  of  Chicago  and  other  Lake  cities,  yet  it  far 
exceeds  the  growth  of  many  cities  in  other  parts  of  the 
United  States  which  were  in  its  class  at  the  beginning 
of  the  century.  The  following  data  present  the  figures 
for  Detroit  at  the  different  census  years  from  1810  to 
1910:1 


Year. 

Population. 

Increase 
in  Decade. 

Percentage 
Increase. 

Rank 

Among  cities 

of  U.  S. 

Area. 

1810 

750? 

1,422 

2,222 

9.102 

21,019 

45,619 

79,577 

116,340 

205,876 

285,704 

465,766 

.33 

1820 

1830 

1840 

18.50 

'B72 

800 

6.880 

11,917 

24,600 

33,9.58 

36,763 

89,536 

79,828 

180,062 

87 

56 

309 

130 

117 

74 

46 

77 

39 

63 

47 
53 
31 
23 
18 
17 
17 
14 
13 
9 

1.36 
2.56 
4.17 

5.85 

1860 

1870 

1880 ,  .  . 

1890 

1900 

12.75 
12.75 
16.09 
22.19 
22.19 

1910 

40.79 

The  absolute  growth  has  increased  each  decade,  but 
the  percentage  increase  has  declined  greatly  since  1840. 
Since  1830  Detroit  has  advanced  in  rank  from  the 
fifty-third  to  the  ninth  city  in  the  United  States. 
The  figures  as  given  for  1810  are  only  approximations, 
for  the  first  census  in  Michigan  was  taken  in  1820. 

1.  Thirteenth  Census  Kept.,  1910,  Population,  II,  898;  Ibid.,  I,  79; 
Twelfth  Census  (1900),  I,  430-431;  Mun.  Man.,  Detroit, 
(1912),  186. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  171 

In  the  ten  years  from.  1810  to  1820,  assuming  that 
the  estimated  figures  are  correct,  the  increase  in  popu- 
lation was  672,  the  city  having  nearly  doubled  in  size. 
This  growth  seems  remarkable  in  view  of  the  factors 
that  tended  to  retard  emigration  to  the  Detroit  region 
in  this  decade.  The  fire  of  1805,  the  War  of  1812,^ 
Indian  hostilities,  and  the  unpopularity  of  the  Michi- 
gan region,  all  were  deterrent  factors.  After  the  War 
of  1812  the  country  was  impoverished,  money  was< 
scarce  and  many  settlers  could  not  raise  money  to 
buy  farms.  The  movement  of  settlers  towards  Michi- 
gan did  not  become  rapid  until  after  1830.  During 
the  early  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century,  however, 
many  changes  took  place  which  prepared  the  way  for 
the  great  waves  of  migration  that  occurred  between 
1830  and  1860. 

Soldiers  of  the  War  of  1812,  on  returning  to  the 
East,  told  of  the  rich,  cheap  lands  to  be  had  in  Michi- 
gan, and  helped  to  break  down  the  prejudices  enter- 
tained by  many.  Travelers  like  Evans,  Blowe  and 
Darby  in  their  writings  sought  to  give  the  people  in 
the  East  a  true  picture  of  the  possibilities  in  Michigan 
for  the  farmer  and  business  man.^  The  Indian  titles 
to  lands  were  extinguished  rapidly.  The  treaties  of 
1807  at  Detroit,  and  1821  at  Chicago  with  the  Indians 
threw  open  large  areas  in  Southern  Michigan  to  set- 
tlers.^ Moreover,  a  change  in  the  land  laws  in  1820 
made  it  easier  for  farmers  to  take  up  land.     Public 

2.  McCarthy,  The  Governors  oj  the  Old  Northwest,  127. 

3.  Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  VIII,  218,  220,  222  (Evans) ; 

Blowe,  Emigrant's  Directory,  694;  Darby,  A  Tour  from 
New  York  to  Detroit,  (1818),  190,  199. 

4.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  I,  225. 


172  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

land  now  could  be  obtained  for  $1.25  per  acre  in  plots 
as  small  as  eighty  acres.  The  States  to  the  east  and 
south  of  Michigan  were  settled  rapidly  between  1800 
and  1820.  The  Genesee  region  was  filling  by  1800, 
"no  less  than  three  thousand  persons  [having]  settled 
in  Ontario  and  Steuben  counties,  New  York,  in  six 
weeks  in  the  winter  of  1798.^  A  few  New  Englanders 
had  already  found  their  way  into  Ohio.^  The  larger 
•number  of  settlers  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois  in  the 
early  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century,  however,  had 
come  from  the  South.  Ohio  by  1803  had  a  popula- 
tion large  enough  to  be  admitted  as  a  State.  Indiana 
was  admitted  in  1816,  and  Illinois  in  1818.  Improve- 
ments in  transportation  were  also  of  great  importance 
in  bringing  many  people  to  the  Lakes  region. 

The  first  trip  of  the  Walk-in-the-Water,  the  first 
steamer  on  Lake  Erie,  1818,  marked  the  beginning  of 
a  new  era  of  travel  on  the  Great  Lakes.  Before  the 
coming  of  the  steamboat,  the  emigrant  to  the  West 
by  way  of  Lake  Erie  had  the  choice  of  three  routes 
of  travel.  He  could  make  the  voyage  in  a  schooner, 
slow,  often  storm-tossed  and  w4nd-bound,  with  little 
accommodation  for  passengers;  he  could  make  his 
way  on  foot  or  horse  through  the  dark  and  almost 
roadless  woods  of  Canada,  his  way  frequently  beset 
by  robbers;  or  he  could  go  along  the  south  shore  of 
Lake  Erie  and  through  the  Black  Swamp  of  north- 
western Ohio.'^  The  Walk-in-the-Water  reduced  the 
time  for  Lake  travel  between  Buffalo  and  Detroit  from 
five  or  ten  days  to  forty-four  hours^sand  afforded  much 

5.  A',  r.  Col.  Docs.,  II,  663. 

6.  Winsor,  The  Westward  Movement,  299,  503. 

7.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XIV,  537. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  173 

more  comfortable  quarters  for  travelers  than  did  the 
schooners.  Subsequent  steamers  shortened  the  time 
still  more,  furnished  more  comfortable  quarters,  en- 
sured greater  safety,  and  lessened  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation. The  steamboat  greatly  facilitated  the  west- 
ward movement  of  population  in  the  Lakes  region. 
It  is  fortunate  for  Detroit  that  it  was  chosen  as  the 
western  terminus  for  the  initial  attempts  at  steam 
navigation  on  the  Lakes,  and  that  the  city  for  m.any 
years  continued  to  be  the  chief  western  terminus  for 
the  traffic  on  Lake  Erie.  Thousands  of  settlers  passed 
through  the  city  on  their  way  to  the  interior  of  the 
State  and  the  West.  Many  were  attracted  by  the 
comm.ercial  possibilities  of  the  city  and  remained  to 
build  up  its  enterprises. 

After  1825  the  Erie  Canal,  combined  with  the  steam- 
ers on  the  Lakes,  was  perhaps  the  greatest  factor  in 
bringing  people  to  Michigan  and  Detroit.  Prepara- 
tions had  been  made  to  handle  the  rush  of  settlers  that 
was  sure  to  follow  the  opening  of  the  canal,  and  before 
the  season  of  1825  was  over,  three  steam.ers  (the  Su- 
perior, the  Henry  Clay,  and  the  Pioneer)  were  run- 
ning on  Lake  Erie.  The  number  of  steamers  on  Lake 
Erie  increased  rapidly.  By  1826  there  were  six  steam- 
boats on  the  Lake,  all  engaged  in  the  passenger  and 
packet  trade.  In  each  new  steam.er  was  em.bodied 
many  improvements.  The  carrying  capacity  was  being 
enlarged  constantly,  the  speed  increased,  and  the  cost 
of  passage  thereby  redticed. 

Many  changes  took  place  in  New  England  that 
brought  on  unrest  and  consequent  migration.  Naviga- 
tion on  the  Lakes  by  steam  was  cheap,  and  the  easy 


174  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

transportation  furnished  by  the  Erie  Canal  brought 
the  products  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Michigan  into 
competition  with  those  of  the  East.  This  competition, 
constantly  becoming  more  severe,  was  felt  especially 
by  the  small  farmers  on  the  crystalline  uplands  of  New 
England  and  by  those  farmers  of  New  York  whose 
lands  lay  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  Canal. 
The  very  taxes  that  the  New  York  farmer  paid  for 
the  building  and  upkeep  of  the  Erie  Canal  lowered 
the  value  of  his  products.  Many  farmers  in  New 
England  were  compelled  to  leave  their  mortgaged 
farms  and  seek  employment  in  the  growing  factory 
towns.  Some  turned  their  attention  to  the  grazing 
industry  or  sold  their  farms  to  others  who  were  going 
to  engage  in  this  business.  Sheep  raising  especially 
was  profitable  after  the  passage  of  the  tariff  laws, 
particularly  those  of  1824  and  1828.^  Thousands  left 
their  old  homes  in  both  regions  and  sought  cheaper 
and  more  productive  lands  in  the  Territories  and  States 
to  the  west. 

The  cheap  lands  of  Michigan  and  the  ease  and 
cheapness  of  transportation  brought  an  influx  of  set- 
tlers that  completely  changed  the  aspect  of  things  and 
made  Southern  Michigan  a  part  of  "Greater  New 
England."  Every  addition  to  the  population  of  South- 
ern Michigan  had  its  effect  in  swelling  the  size  and 
increasing  the  importance  of  the  growing  metropolis 
on  the  eastern  border. 

In  1820  the  American  frontier  (density  six  to  eight- 
een persons  per  square  mile)  bordered  the  southern 
shores  of  Lake  Ontario  and  Lake  Erie  as  far  west  as 


8.     Ibid.,  XXXVIII,  543  (Fuller). 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH 


175 


Cleveland,  and  thence  followed  an  irregular  line  to- 
ward the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  River.  An  area  of 
similar  density  was  located  in  southeastern  Michigan, 
with  the  nucleus  at  Detroit.  Connecting  the  Detroit 
settlement  and  the  settlements  in  Ohio  was  a  thinly- 
settled  area  (two  to  six  persons  per  square  mile) 
bordering  Lake  Erie.  By  1830  the  frontier  had  en- 
veloped the  settlements  in  southeastern  Michigan.^ 


Distribution  of  Population  in  the 

Lakes  Region  in  1820 
{From  Statistical  Atlas,  Ninth  Census,  A'l'/A 

Behind  the  economic  conditions  and  the  improve- 
ments in  transportation  already  noted,  another  factor, 
inherent  in  the  habits  of  the  people,  was  very  impor- 
tant in  furthering  emigration.  "Nothing,"  says  Daniel 
Blowe  in  1820,^°  "has  tended  so  much  towards  the 
rapid  progress  of  the  Western  Country  as  the  strong 

9.     Twelfth  Census,  Statistical  Atlas,  Population  Maps  of  1820 

and  1830. 
10.     Blowe,  Emigrant' s  Directory,  63. 


176  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

disposition  to  emigration  aro.ong  the  Americans  them- 
selves. Even  when  doing  well  in  the  southern  or 
eastern  States  they  will  break  up  their  establishments 
and  move  westward  with  an  alacrity  and  vigor  no 
other  people  would  do  unless  compelled  by  necessity. 
.  .  .  In  this  w^ay  it  is  that  the  Western  States  have 
advanced  in  population  and  prosperity  with  rapidity 
unparalled  in  the  history  of  mankind." 

r^  "^  In  1825,  the  year  of  the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal, 
Niles'  Register  reported,"  "Emigration  is  powerful  to 
the  west.  The  vessels  on  Lake  Erie  are  hardly  able 
to  carry  the  passengers  and  their  goods,  though  the 
steamboats  convey  three  hundred  persons  westward 
every  week.  The  destination  of  the  people  is  chiefly 
Ohio  and  Michigan."^  On  July  23,  1825,  it  was  esti- 
mated that  four  thousand-  persons  had  arrived  at 
Detroit  since  the  opening  of  navigation,  and  the  sum 
of  $60,310  had  been  received  at  Detroit  for  land  sold 
in  that  district  alone  since  the  first  of  May.^^ 

The  next  year  saw  an  increase  in  transportation 
v^  facilities,  and  Niles'  Register  for  June  3,  1826,  reported,^* 

Qj  i  "The  Steamboat  Henry  Clay,  the  first  vessel  for  the  season, 
arrived  at  Detroit  from  Buffalo,  May  8.  She  had  two 
hundred  passengers,  chiefly  emigrants.  \  .  .  .  There 
are  now  seven  steamboats  on  Lake  Erie,  last  year, 
at  this  time,  there  were  only  three. "^^  Eventually  ar- 
rangements were  made  for  the  shipping  of  household 
effects,  implements,  and  live  stock.  In  1831  one  paper 
reported,^''   "The  steamboats  and  all  other  water  crafts 

11.  Niks'  Weekly  Reg.,  XXVIII,  16 L 

12.  Ihid.,  324. 

13.  Ibid.,  XXX,  341. 

14.  Ibid.,  XL,  285. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  177 

on  the  lake  [Erie]  are  filled  with   m.en,  women,  and 
children,  beds,  cradles,  kettles,  and  frying  pans." 

Between  1830  and  1840  the  population  of  Detroit 
increased  from  2222  to  9102,  or  309  per  cent.  After 
^a  time  the  great  m.ovement  of  people  ceased  to  occa- 
sion surprise,  and  although  settlers  still  came  in  large 
numbers  there  were  fewer  com.m.ents  about  the  migra- 
tion. In  1831  the  sale  of  public  lands  in  the  Detroit 
District  amounted  to  $48,727  between  March  1  and 
May  28.  In  one  day  the  sales  am.ounted  to  $5,600.^^ 
Two  years  later  the  receipts  at  the  Detroit  office  were 
$79,000,  and  at  Monroe,  $90,000.^'^ 

The  Black  Hawk  War  tem.porarily  checked  emigra- 
tion to  Michigan.  The  seat  of  war  was  in  Illinois 
and  Wisconsin,  but  all  southern  and  w^estern  Michigan 
for  months  was  kept  in  a  state  of  suspense  and  alarm.. ^'' 
With  the  quieting  of  the  Indians,  however,  the  move- 
ment of  emigrants  assumed  greater  proportions  than 
before. 

Vtn  1833  the  Detroit  Coiirier  noted  the  arrival  of 
seven  steamboats  between  May  1  and  May  7,  with  a 
total  of  2,610  passengers.  It  was  reported  that  steam- 
boats often  left  Buffalo  before  the  appointed  time  in 
order  to  avoid  the  pressure  of  persons  wishing  to  take 
passage. ^^  Besides  those  carried  by  steamboats,  m.any 
came  by  land.  About  1837  it  was  estimated  that  on 
an  average  twenty  teams  of  horses,  two  hundred  yoke 
of   oxen,    and   eight   hundred   persons   came   through 

15.  Ibid.,  XL,  293,  quoted  from  Detroit  Courier  of  May  28,  1831. 

16.  Ibid.,  XLIV,  373,  quoted  from  Detroit  Journal. 

17.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  II,  295. 

18.  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  XLIV,  198. 

23 


178  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

Canada  each  month  and  crossed  the  river  by  ferry. ^^ 
In  1844  the  Michigan  papers  estimated  that  twenty 
thousand  people  had  come  to  the  State  during  the 
past  season  of  navigation. -° 

In  1827  Congress  granted  the  Mihtary  Reserve  to 
to  Detroit,  the  post  having  been  abolished  that  year, 
as  before  noted.  Lots  in  this  Reserve  were  sold  at 
very  low  prices,-^  and  a  large  area  was  added  to  the 
business  portion  of  the  city.  The  razing  of  the  fort 
marked  the  close  of  the  long  history  of  Detroit  as  a 
military  post.  With  the  rapid  relative  decline  of  the 
fur  trade  and  the  destruction  of  the  last  emblem  of 
militarism,  the  traces  of  the  ancient  regime  had  nearly 
disappeared.  Many  things  in  the  life  and  manners  of 
the  people,  however,  and  many  features  of  the  city, 
indicated  that  primitive  conditions  had  not  passed 
away  entirely. 

The  principal  street,  Jefferson  Avenue,  was  lined  on 
both  sides  with  low  French  houses,  "whose  unpainted 
fronts  and  mosscovered  roofs,"  as  one  writer  puts  it, 
"looked  as  though  they  had  braved  the  storms  of  a 
century."  Here  and  there  along  the  avenue  a  newly 
painted  shop  showed  the  presence  of  emigrants  from 
the  East.  There  were  only  two  brick  buildings  on 
the  street.^-  Not  a  street  had  been  paved  or  ma- 
cadamized. Sidewalks  were  few.  There  were  four 
churches,  but  not  a  public  school.-^  A  few  impover- 
ished Indians  still  lived  near  the  city.     Annually  many 

19.  McCabe,  Directory  of  Detroit  (1837),  35. 

20.  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  LXV,  352. 

21.  Leonard,  Industries  of  Detroit,  17. 

22.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVIII,  462  (Mrs.  Stewart). 

23.  Ibid.,  II,  567;  Mag.  West.  Hist.,  Ill,  539. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  179 

bands  came  from  the  Upper  Lakes  on  their  way  to 
Maiden  to  receive  their  presents  from  the  British 
Government.  The  banks  of  the  river  at  such  times 
were  Hned  with  their  canoes.-^ 

In  1827  a  franchise  was  granted  providing  for  a 
water  system.  The  installation  took  place  that  year.^^ 
Previous  to  this  improvement,  water  was  carried  from 
the  river  in  pails  and  barrels.^*'  Buckets  hung  on  a 
wooden  yoke,  a  contrivance  used  in  the  French  period, 
were  much  used.  A  few  men  earned  their  living  by 
hauling  water  in  barrels  from  the  river.  The  intro- 
duction of  a  water  system  changed  this  primitive 
method  for  part  of  the  city.  Water  now  was  raised 
from  the  river  to  a  reservoir  on  the  bank,  from  which 
it  reached  a  small  part  of  the  city  through  pipes  made 
from  logs.  The  Detroit  River  has  ever  been  the  chief 
source  of  the  water  supply  for  the  city.  The  mantle 
rock  under  most  of  the  city  is  stiff  impervious  clay. 
The  water  in  wells  was  (and  is)  inferior  in  quality, 
because  it  is  not  filtered  naturally  but  is  merely  the 
run-off.  Besides,  very  few  wells  gave  a  supply 
throughout  the  summer.  There  are  few  or  no  springs 
within  the  city  limits."  Until  after  1833  there  was 
no  fire  department.  For  a  time  buckets  were  used. 
When  an  alarm  was  sounded,  every  male  who  had  a 

24.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVIII,  463.     In  1836  over  4000  American 

Indians  received  presents  from  the  British  on  Drummond 
Island  at  mouth  of  St.  Mary's  River.  The  practice  pre- 
vailed at  Maiden  for  several  years  after  this  date. 
(Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  406). 

25.  Rept.  of  Bd.  of  Water  Com.  (1853),  28. 

26.  See  Chapter  VI. 

27.  Rept.  Bd.  of  Water  Com.  (1853),  126;  Sherzer,  Geol.  of  Wayne 

Co.,  map. 


180  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

bucket  rendered  what  assistance  he  could  and  formed 
a  "bucket  brigade."-^  Later  an  ordinance  required 
each  family  to  keep  on  the  premises  a  cask  containing 
a  certain  amount  of  water,  and  so  arranged  with  poles 
for  handles  that  it  could  be  brought  into  immediate 
use  in  case  of  fire.-^  About  1833  fire  protection  was 
furnished  by  a  hand  force-pump. ^° 

Detroit  continued  to  ship  many  furs,  but  with  the 
settling  of  Southern  Michigan  and  the  destruction  of 
the  forests,  lumber  and  agricultural  products  became 
the  basis  of  trade.  The  first  shipment  of  flour  from 
Michigan  took  place  in  1826,  when  two  hundred  bar- 
rels were  sent  to  the  East  from  Monroe. ^^  Detroit 
was  a  center  of  flour  manufacturing  in  Southern  Michi- 
gan, and  the  "banks  of  the  river  were  studded  with 
grist  mills. "^^  Tobacco  was  raised  in  the  surrounding 
region,  one  hundred  hogsheads  were  sold  to  a  finn  in 
Baltimore  in  1827.  Improvements  in  transportation 
enabled  perishable  goods  to  enter  more  extensively 
into  traffic,  and  white-fish  came  to  be  an  article  of 
export,  selling  for  six  to  seven  dollars  per  barrel  in  the 
eastern  markets.  The  first  oysters  were  received  at 
Detroit  from  the  East  in  1826,  an  event  which  reflects 
the  rapid  development  of  trade  and  transportation.^^ 
During  the  winter  months  Detroit  was  almost  as 
isolated  from  the   shores  of  the  Atlantic  as  in  the 


28.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  II,  567;  Mitchell,  Detroit  in  History  and 

Co^'}1. }}!  €TC€     1 5  > 

29.  Kept,  of  Bd.  of  Water  Com.  (1853),  27. 

30.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  II,  567;  Mitchell,  Detroit  in  History  and 

Cmnmerce,  15. 

31.  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  416. 

32.  Roberts,  Sketches  of  City  of  Straits,  10. 

33.  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  XXIX,  310. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  181 

French  period.  Travel  in  the  winter  months  was 
almost  entirely  by  sled.  In  December  1833  a  ton's 
weight  of  powder  and  soldier's  clothing  left  Rome, 
N.  Y.,  for  Mackinac.  From  Rome  the  freight  was 
carried  by  sled  to  Buffalo  and  thence  along  the  south 
shore  of  Lake  Erie  to  Detroit.  Here  it  was  delayed 
until  April  10,  for  the  opening  of  navigation.  The 
cost  of  transportation  from  Rome  to  Mackinac  was 
$250.34 

The  great  influx  of  settlers  to  Detroit  and  vicinity 
was  not  alone  from  the  Eastern  States.  A  foreign  ele- 
ment about  1830  began  to  appear  in  the  population 
of  the  city.  In  1827  there  were  thirty -nine  foreigners 
not  naturalized  in  Detrpit.  By  1833  there  were  enough 
Germans  in  Detroit  to  form  a  religious  organization.  ^^ 
The  city  was  growing  rapidly,  and  the  value  of  prop- 
erty was  increasing  at  an  astonishing  rate.  A  lot  near 
the  business  center  was  reported  to  have  sold  for 
$12,000  in  1836.  "The  purchaser  had  since  been 
offered  $20,000,"  says  the  report, ^^  "but  was  holding 
it  in  expectation  of  getting  $25,000.  Eighteen  large 
brick  stores  were  in  process  of  building  on  Jefferson 
Ave."3« 

The  year  1837  marked  about  the  beginning  of  the 
era  of  internal  improvements  in  the  Northwest,  and 
Michigan  had  many  canal  and  railway  projects  under 
contemplation.  A  Detroit  newspaper  of  that  year 
announced  that  seven  railroads  had  been  chartered  to 
run  into  the  city  and  that  two  were  already  in  course 
of    construction.     These    were    the    Detroit    and    St. 

34.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XIII,  520. 

35.  Ihid.,  XXXVIII,  551. 

36.  Gilman,  Life  on  the  Lakes,  51,  57. 


182  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

Joseph  and  the  Detroit  and  Pontiac.  Roads  and 
turnpikes  had  been  laid  out  and  some  had  been  con- 
structed." Most  of  the  important  ones  centered  at 
Detroit.  The  Detroit-Chicago  Road  had  been  com- 
pleted.^^ Wayne  Coimty  alone  had  a  population  of 
23,400;  Washtenaw,  21,817;  Oakland,  20,163;  Lenawee, 
14,504.  These  were  the  more  populous  counties  in  the 
State,  within  the  sphere  of  the  commercial  control  of 
Detroit.  Detroit  in  1837  had  four  banks,  whose  capi- 
tals totalled  $2,250,000;  there  were  also  in  the  city^* 

27  drygoods  stores,  8  jewelry  shops,    . 

25  grocery  and  provision  4  printing  offices, 

stores,  2  daily  newspapers, 

10  commission  houses,  4  weekly  newspapers, 

14  hardware  stores,  1  semi-weekly  newspaper, 

3  markets,  1  tri-weekly  newspaper, 
8  drug  stores,  1  educational  magazine, 

4  hotels,  37  lawyers,  and 
3  book  stores,  22  physicians. 

7  clothing  stores. 

The  factories  in  Detroit  were  chiefly  of  the  metal 
and  woodworking  industries.  The  American  Fur  Com- 
pany still  had  an  agency,  but  few  firrs  were  collected. 
The  business  interests  were  mostly  commercial,  forty- 
seven  Lake  vessels  being  owned  in  Detroit.  There 
were  3900  feet  of  docks;  and  three  steamers,  besides 
several  sailing  vessels,  arrived  and  departed  daily  dur- 
ing the  season  of  navigation.     A  steam  ferry  carried 

37.  See  Chapter  X. 

38.  Ibid. 

39.  McCabe,  Directory  of  Detroit  (1837);  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  X, 

102;  Ibid.,  X,  189  (quoted  from  Blois'  Gazetteer). 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  183 

people  to  and  from  Windsor.  The  sewage  system  of 
the  city  was  fairly  extensive,  but  the  streets  were  still 
in  a  primitive  condition.^"  A  steam  pump  now  ele- 
vated the  water  to  the  reservoir,  and  iron  pipes  had 
replaced  the  wooden  ones  formerly  used.  Detroit  was 
fast  acquiring  the  appearance  of  a  modern  city,  and 
the  foundations  were  being  laid  for  its  future  great- 
ness. Many  of  the  leading  manufacturing  and  mer- 
cantile firms  of  the  present  time  date  from  about 
1840. 

The  first  public  school  in  Detroit  was  opened  in 
1838,  the  sessions  being  held  in  the  second  story  of 
an  old  frame  building.  The  first  story  was  used  for  a 
grocery  store.^^  Other  public  schools  were  soon  opened. 
Many  private  schools  existed,  both  for  primary  and 
secondary  instruction.  A  directory  of  the  city  for 
1837  lists  five  private  colleges  and  seminaries.  St. 
Phillip's  College  gave  a  "course  of  instruction  em- 
bracing the  foreign  languages,  classics  and  every 
branch  of  learning  requisite  for  a  polished  and  refined 
education."  In  the  St.  Clair  Seminary,  studies  em- 
braced "all  the  attainments  which  are  necessary  for 
society."  Besides  these,  there  were  the  Detroit  Female 
Seminary,  the  Catholic  Theological  Seminary,  and  the 
St.  Anne's  Classical  and  Mathematical  Academy .^^ 

Among  the  public  buildings,  there  were:  a  state 
house,  city  hall,  eight  churches,  foiu:  banks,  four 
hotels,  a  United  States  land  office,  three  city  markets, 
a  theatre,  a  museum,  a  state  penitentiary,  a  govem- 

40.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  X,  98. 

41.  Ihid.,  91. 

42.  McCabe,  Directory  of  Detroit  (1837),  18,   104;  Haskell  and 

Smith,  Gaz.  of  U.  S.  (1843). 


184  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

ment  magazine,  and  a  mechanic's  hall.'*^  The  city 
hall  was  a  brick  structure,  one  hundred  by  fifty  feet. 
The  first  story  was  occupied  by  a  city  market  and  the 
city  clerk's  office.  It  was  erected  in  1835,  and  cost 
$20,000.^^  In  1840  there  were  eleven  commission 
houses  engaged  in  foreign  trade,  with  a  capital  of 
$123,000.'*^  Detroit  had  now  assumed  importance  as 
a  jobbing  center,  having  parts  of  Indiana,  Illinois, 
Wisconsin,  and  Canada  as  its  territory,  besides  its  own 
logical  hinterland  within  the  State.  This  business  in- 
creased for  ten  or  fifteen  years,  when  the  rivalry  of 
Chicago  and  Milwaukee  began  to  be  felt  in  Indiana, 
Illinois,  and  Wisconsin.  The  city,  however,  still  con- 
tinued to  be  the  jobbing  center  for  a  large  part  of  Mich- 
igan. A  contemporary  writer  said,'*^  "Nearly  all  the 
merchants  in  the  interior  of  the  State  depend  upon 
Detroit  for  occasionally  replenishing  their  stock  and 
man}^  buy  all  their  goods  there."  The  exports  were 
mainly  agricultural  products,  showing  that  the  manu- 
facturing industries  were  supplying  merely  the  markets 
of  the  State.  Among  the  exports  were  ashes,  beef, 
pork,  cranberries,  flour,  wool,  wheat,  lumber,  staves, 
and  fish. 

By  1837  thirty-nine  counties  had  been  organized  in 
Michigan.  There  were  two  chartered  cities,  and 
twenty-three  incorporated  villages.  Of  the  estimated 
56,450  square  miles  in  the  State,  25,636  had  been 
surveyed.  Land  offices  were  established  in  Detroit, 
Kalamazoo,    Monroe,    Flint,    and    Ionia.     Forty-five 

43.  Haskell  and  Smith,  Gaz.  of  U.  S.  (1843). 

44.  McCabe,  Dir.  of  Dct.  (1837),  105. 

45.  Haskell  and  Smith,  Gaz.  of  U.  S.  (1843). 

46.  Hunt's  Merchant's  Mag.,  XX,  278  (Seaman). 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  185 

"wildcat  banks"  had  been  organized,  and  twenty-four 
railroads  had  secured  charters.  Four  State  lines  of 
railroads  had  been  provided  for,  and  under  the  internal 
improvem.ent  system  many  canals  and  river  improve- 
ments had  been  proposed. ^'^  The  Central  Railroad  had 
been  completed  from  Detroit  as  far  as  Ypsilanti,  and 
the  Detroit  and  Pontiac  as  far  as  Royal  Oak.^^ 

The  inflation  in  the  value  of  real  estate  noted  in  a 
preceding  page^^  was  only  a  local  manifestation  of  con- 
ditions prevailing  throughout  the  Territory.  Such  in- 
flation and  such  advances  in  all  lines  of  activity  were 
in  part  an  expression  of  the  "boom  period"  just  pre- 
ceding the  financial  panic  of  1837.  Towns  were  being 
laid  out  in  various  parts  of  the  State.  A  company 
would  purchase  a  tract  of  land  by  the  acre  at  the 
Government  price.  If  the  land  could  be  located  along 
some  river  or  lake  the  prospects  were  good  that  lots 
could  be  sold  readily.  The  tract  was  surveyed  and 
laid  out  as  a  city  or  village,  with  streets,  and  spaces 
for  public  squares  and  buildings.  As  business  became 
more  prosperous  for  the  speculator,  time  was  not 
taken  to  survey  the  land.  Cities  were  planned  on 
paper  only,  and  hundreds  of  lots  were  sold  from  such 
plans.  After  the  survey  or  prospectus  was  made,  then 
came  the  time  for  advertising.  The  city  was  an- 
nounced as  the  future  metropolis  of  its  section.  Many 
tracts  were  bought,  laid  out,  and  sold  without  any  of 
the  parties  ever  having  seen  the  land.  Frequently, 
when  claims  were  examined  the  investors  were  sur- 

47.  See  Chapter  X. 

48.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  X,   98   (quoted  from  Blois'     Gazetteer). 

49.  Page  181. 


180  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

prised  to  find  the  "city"  located  in  the  middle  of  some 
vast  swamp  or  on  some  small  stream  that  would  never 
be  able  to  float  even  a  stick  of  cord  wood.  A  contem- 
porary writer  in  the  North  American  Review  said,^° 
"No  one  can  travel  through  Michigan  at  the  present 
time  without  being  astonished  at  the  spread  of  specu- 
lation. The  hardy  yoeman  who  emigrates  to  this 
country  with  limited  funds,  with  purposes  of  pur- 
chasing and  improving  a  farm  is  soon  infested  with 
the  epidemic-speculating-m.ania ;  and  betakes  himself 
to  his  paper  and  pencil  instead  of  uprooting  the  oaks 
or  following  the  plow  through  the  m.ellow  soil." 

Detroit  was  the  center  of  speculation.  "At  the 
hotels  were  gathered  animated  crow^ds  from  all  quar- 
ters of  the  country  speculating  in  land.  .  .  .  Auc- 
tioneers were  'knocking  down'  lots  to  eager  buyers,  and 
happy  was  he  who  secured  one  with  fine  water  priv- 
ileges at  a  price  a  thousand  fold  beyond  the  first 
price  a  few  days  ago."^^  The  Detroit  Journal  well 
describes  the  conditions  in  the  city  in  1835.  "Bujdng 
and  selling,"  it  says,°-  "is  the  order  of  the  day.  Our 
city  is  filled  with  speculators  who  are  all  on  tip-toe. 
Several  snug  fortunes  from  $10,000  to  $20,000  have 
already  been  made.  Governor  Cass  has  disposed  of 
the  front  part  of  his  farm  as  far  back  as  Lamed  Street 
for  $100,000.  Extensive  improvements  are  rapidly 
making  in  Detroit.  Our  city  authorities  are  authorized 
to  obtain  a  loan  of  $100,000." 

Another  phenomenon  of  this  period  of  speculation 
was  the  creation    of    the    so-called  "wildcat  banks." 


50.  N.  Am.  Rev.,  XLIV,  55. 

51.  Hubbard,  Memorials  of  a  Half  Century,  95. 

52.  Quoted  in  Niks'  Weekly  Reg.,  XLVIII,  273. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  187 

Their  existence  was  an  answer  to  the  call  of  the  democ- 
racy of  the  frontier  for  a  "square  deal"  and  the  aboli- 
tion of  the  banking  monopoly.  When  the  State  was 
organized  in  1837  eight  banks  were  in  existence,  and 
before  the  State  was  formally  admitted  seven  more 
were  chartered.  The  population  of  the  State  in  1837 
was  only  about  150,000.  With  a  bank  for  every 
10,000  persons  it  would  seem  that  Michigan  had 
banking  faciHties  enough.  The  period  of  speculation, 
however,  had  created  a  great  demand  for  money,  and 
this  resulted  in  exorbitant  interest  rates.  More 
money  was  wanted.  Many  could  not  see  why  any 
corporation  should  have  a  monopoly  of  the  issue  and 
reap  great  profits;  so  the  democracy  of  the  frontier 
demanded  that  all  have  similar  privileges.  In  1837 
the  State  Legislature,  responding  to  popular  demands, 
passed  the  General  Banking  Law.  Monopoly  was 
abolished.  Judge  Cooley  estimated  that  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  bills  were  issued. 
Provisions  had  been  m.ade  to  protect  the  holders  of 
these  issues,  but  the  wide  distribution  of  the  banks 
and  the  poor  means  of  communication  and  travel  made 
it  easy  to  evade  the  banking  laws.  Many  reserves 
were  pooled  and  carried  from  one  bank  to  another. 
After  the  banking  commissioner  had  examined  one 
bank,  the  specie  was  hurried  to  another  to  be  there 
when  he  arrived.  One  bank  when  first  examined 
showed  the  requisite  reserve,  but  when  examined  a  few 
days  later  it  was  found  to  have  $34.30  in  its  vaults, 
with  which  to  cover  an  issue  of  twenty  thousand 
dollars.  ^^ 


53.    Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XV,  209  (Utley). 


188  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

The  storm  burst  when  the  banks  ceased  to  redeem 
their  issue.  Wrecked  banks  were  on  every  hand,  and 
it  was  said  that  the  engravers  of  the  bank  notes, 
Rawdon,  Wright,  and  Hatch,  never  received  their  pay 
for  engraving  most  of  the  bills.  The  collapse  of  these 
banks  cooled  the  fever  of  speculation,  and  the  prices 
of  land  and  products  fell.  Men  whose  property  a 
few  weeks  before  was  figured  at  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  dollars  were  now  unable  to  buy  provisions  for  their 
families.  To  add  to  the  depreciation  of  real  estate 
the  actual  settlers,  having  developed  an  aversion  to 
all  strangers  for  fear  they  were  speculators,  did  not 
welcome  newcomer s.^'^ 

Trade  was  much  hindered  for  want  of  money.  Some 
companies  used  due  bills.  At  Detroit,  wooden  bowls 
were  used  for  small  change.  "Cut  money"  was  anotner 
form  of  specie. ^^  "Shin-plasters"  were  issued  by  the 
city.  At  times  there  w^as  not  enough  money  for  the 
city  to  pay  the  laborers  at  work  on  city  improvem.ents.^^ 
The  period  of  stagnation  lasted  until  1845.  During 
1838,  1839,  and  1840,  times  grew  harder  and  harder 
and  then  at  last  began  to  improve.  By  1845  business 
and  financial  conditions  were  normal  again. 

Detroit  was  becoming  truly  cosmopolitan  by  1850; 
as  its  size  increased,  it  drew  people  from  wider  and 
wider  areas.  Of  the  21,000  people  in  the  city  in  1850, 
11,000  were  native  bom,  and  10,000  were  foreign 
born.  Every  State  east  of  the  Mississippi  was  rep- 
resented. The  major  lines  of  movement  of  the  emi- 
grants are  well  shown  in  the  make-up  of  the  native- 

54.  Ibid.,  IV,  174  (Trowbridge). 

55.  Ibid.,  I,  382. 

56.  Leonard,  Industries  of  Detroit,  17. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH 


189 


born  population.  Of  the  11,055  born  in  the  United 
States,  6,323  had  been  born  in  Michigan.  Of  the 
4,732  remaining,  4,173  had  been  bom  in  Ohio,  New 
York,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  or  the  New  England 
States.  The  numbers  furnished  by  each  of  these  States 
were  as  follows:" 


New  York 

2,620; 

Connecticut 

224 

Ohio 

305 

New  Jersey 

83 

Massachusetts 

296 

New  Hampshire 

80 

Vermont 

281 

Maine 

70 

Pennsylvania 

276 

,       Rhode  Island 

21 

New  York  had  been  the  great  hive,  having  furnished 
twenty-foijir  per  cent  of  the  American  born,  and  nearly 
sixty-three  per  cent  of  those  born  outside  of  Michigan. 
Few  had  come  from  the  States  south  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Ohio; 


161  had  come  from  Virginia, 
98  from  Kentucky, 
24  from  Tennessee, 
15  from  North  Carolina, 
13  from  Georgia, 


6  from  Louisiana, 
6  from  Alabama, 
4  from  Mississippi, 
2  from  Florida,  and 
12  from  South  Carolina. 


It  seems  probable  that  most  of  the  161  native-born 
Virginians  had  resided  in  Ohio  before  coming  to 
Detroit. 

In  1850  the  chief  foreign  elements  in  the  population 
of  Detroit  had  come  from  Ireland,  Germany,  England, 
and  Scotland.  In  order  of  numbers  these  were;  Ire- 
land, 3289;  German  Empire,  2855;  England  and  Wales, 
1245;   Scotland,  474;  and  France,   282.     There  were 

57.     DeBow's  Review,  XIX,  262. 


190  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

only  seven  Austrians,  four  Spaniards,  and  four  Italians 
in  Detroit.  The  foreign-born  made  up  about  47  per 
cent  of  the  total  population  of  the  city.^* 

With  the  growth  of  population  in  the  Lake  States 
and  the  development  of  cities  at  many  points  Detroit 
came  to  have  many  rivals.  The  early  start  that 
Detroit  had  in  its  founding  had  little  or  no  effect 
upon  its  later  growth.  Its  real  growth  and  develop- 
ment began  only  after  emigration  from  the  East  set 
in.  The  Easterners  laid  the  foundation  of  the  great- 
ness of  Detroit.  Characterized  by  activity  and  energy, 
a  liberal  public  spirit,  and  a  high  order  of  intelligence, 
they  built  the  stores,  factories,  wagon  roads,  and  rail- 
roads; founded  schools,  academies,  and  colleges;  set- 
tled the  lands  back  from  the  rivers;  and  carried  the 
products  of  the  growing  settlements,  both  raw  and 
manufactured,  to  the  markets  of  the  East.  The  steady 
growth  and  continued  prosperity  of  the  city  from  the 
time  the  British  withdrew  from  the  Lakes  region  to 
the  present  day  are  due  largely  to  the  Americans  who 
came  from  States  to  the  east.  But  these  same  hardy 
citizens  came  by  thousands  to  find  homes  in  the  other 
Lake  States,  where  Cleveland,  Toledo,  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee, and  many  smaller  cities  grew  up  and  com- 
peted with  Detroit  for  the  trade  and  commerce  of  the 
Lakes. 

As  early  as  1835,  a  rival  to  Detroit  sprang  up  in 
Michigan.  Many  far-sighted  men  thought  they  saw 
at  Monroe  a  most  eligible  point  for  a  large  city.  Gov- 
ernor Cass  and  others  in  1836  bought  large  tracts  of 
land  at  and  near  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Raisin 

58.     Ibid. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  191 

River.  Monroe  at  that  time  had  brilHant  prospects. 
A  canal  had  been  projected  to  be  built  across  the 
State  from  the  headwaters  of  the  Raisin  River.  The 
Southern  Railroad  was  to  have  Monroe  as  its  eastern 
terminus,  where  it  would  connect  with  vessels  on  Lake 
Erie.  A  line  of  steamers  for  a  time  made  Monroe  a 
port  of  call  on  the  route  between  Buffalo  and  Chicago. 
Thousands  of  emigrants  landed  at  Monroe  on  their 
way  to  the  interior  of  Michigan  and  to  Illinois  and 
Wisconsin.  Until  about  1856  the  prospects  of  Monroe 
were  bright.  Its  friends  had  failed,  however,  to  take 
account  of  the  development  of  the  railroad.  The  death 
blow  to  the  aspirations  of  Monroe  was  struck  when  in 
1856  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern  Railway 
made  connections  with  Buffalo  along  the  south  shore 
of  Lake  Erie.  The  railway  steamers  on  Lake  Erie 
were  withdrawn,  and  Monroe  declined  in  import ance.^^ 
In  1910  Monroe  was  the  thirty-fifth  city  in  size  in 
Michigan,  with  a  population  of  6893.*^° 

Between  1850  and  1860,  many  writers  on  commercial 
subjects  saw  in  Toledo  a  formidable  rival  of  Detroit 
and  other  Lake  cities.  In  fact  many  thought  Toledo 
would  rival  Chicago  as  a  commercial  and  industrial 
center.  Andrews,  in  1851,  said,*^^  "Toledo  is  in  one 
respect  more  advantageously  situated  for  an  exten- 
sive lake  commerce  than  perhaps  any  other  western 
port."  The  two  canals  centering  on  Toledo  made 
it  the  depot  for  the  trade  of  the  Miami,  Maimiee,  and 
Wabash  valleys  and  since  this  trade  was  increasing 
yearly  it  was  "almost  tantamount  to  saying  that  it 

59.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  VI,  369. 

60.  Thirteenth  Census  (1910),  II,  920. 

61.  Andrews,  Exec.  Doc.  112,  32nd  Cong.,  1st  Session,  185. 


192  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

must  need  be  ultimately  the  great  meeting-place  and 
mart  for  the  immense  products  of  all  that  region. "'^- 

A  writer  in  Ilutit's  Merchant's  Magazine  in  1854 
says,*^^  "Chicago  and  Toledo,  it  will  be  presumed,  have 
no  rivals  on  the  lakes  in  the  great  advantage  of  hold- 
ing the  shortest  and  cheapest  channels  of  the  trade 
connecting  them  to  the  great  rivers  of  the  plain,  and 
the  great  cities  of  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati  bordering 
these  rivers.  .  .  .  Toledo  by  means  of  her  canals 
with  the  Ohio,  and  Chicago  by  her  canal  to  the  Illinois 
will  command  the  heavy  freights  exchanged  between 
the  great  river  region  below  Cairo  and  the  Lakes 
region.  .  .  .  How  extensive  this  communication 
will  soon  become,  the  most  sanguine  will  fail  duly  to 
estimate." 

J.  B.  Scott,  an  able  writer  on  commercial  topics,  as 
late  as  1862  prophesied  for  Toledo  the  highest  rank 
among  the  Lakes  cities.  "Twenty  years  ago,"  he  says,^"* 
"it  was  generally  believed  that  our  largest  interior 
cities  would  grow  up  on  our  interior  rivers.  Experi- 
ence has  shown  that  our  interior  commerce  prefers  to 
concentrate  on  the  borders  of  our  Great  Lakes.  Be- 
tween 1850  and  1860  the  growth  of  the  ten  largest 
lake  cities  has  been  twice  as  great  as  the  ten  largest 
river  cities.  Of  the  largest  lake  cities  Chicago  and 
Toledo  show  the  greatest  growth."  Between  1850  and 
1860  Toledo  advanced  in  population  from  3,800  to 
13,700;  Detroit,  from  21,000  to  46,000;  Buffalo,  from 
42,000  to  81,000;  Milwaukee,  from  20,000  to  45,000; 
and  Chicago,  from  30,000  to  109,000.     Both  Toledo 

62.  Ibid. 

63.  Hunt's  Merchant's  Mag.,  XXXI,  403,  405. 

64.  Ibid.,  XLVII.  403. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  193 

and  Chicago  in  this  decade  trebled  in  population.  It 
was  on  the  basis  of  the  figures  of  this  decade  that  Mr. 
Scott  based  his  conclusions.  In  1910  Toledo  stood 
sixth  in  size  among  the  Lake  ports.  Chicago  had  a 
population  of  2,185,000;  Cleveland,  560,000;  Detroit, 
465,000;  Buffalo,  424,000;  Milwaukee,  301,000;  and 
Toledo,  224,000.*^^  The  advantages  of  Toledo  in  posi- 
tion, as  compared  with  the  other  Lake  ports,  were 
m.uch  overestimated.  Here  again  the  railroad  was 
underestim.ated,  and  the  importance  of  lake  and  canal 
transportation  was  overestimated.  With  the  devel- 
opm.ent  of  the  trunk  lines,  Toledo  becam.e  a  way- 
station  on  the  great  east  and  west  lines  of  railroads. 
The  railroads  gave  to  inland  cities,  like  Indianapolis, 
com.mercial  advantages  not  dreamed  of  in  the  days 
when  canals  and  rivers  were  the  chief  highways. 
When  Toledo  ceased  to  be  one  of  the  main  termini  for 
lake  shipping  its  growth  became  less  rapid.  It  is  too 
far  from  the  deep  waters  of  the  Lake  to  be  a  port  of 
call  for  modern  vessels  plying  between  ports  on  the 
Upper  Lakes  and  those  of  Lake  Erie.  The  small 
schooners  of  early  days  could  sail  alm.ost  anywhere  in 
Maum.ee  Bay,  but  modern  freighters  are  confined  to 
dredged  channels.  The  muddy  water  of  the  Maimi.ee 
River  is,  therefore,  one  cause  of  the  slower  growth  of 
Toledo  than  of  many  of  the  other  Lake  cities. 

Detroit,  on  the  other  hand,  has  come  to  be  the 
terminus  for  many  railways  in  Michigan,  and  some  of 
the  through  lines  between  the  East  and  West  cross  the 
river  at  this  point  by  tunnel  and  ferry.     It  is  on  the 

65.     Thirteenth  Census;  V,  Part  I,  430-433;  Stat.  Abstract  of  U.  5. 
(1911),  55. 
25 


194  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

route  of  all  vessels  plying  between  Lake  Erie  and  the 
Upper  Lakes.  Since  the  Detroit  River  flows  from  a 
lake,  it  carries  little  sedim.ent,  and  bars  are  few.  The 
channel  is  more  than  thirty  feet  deep,  and  the  channel 
bank  is  near  the  shores  of  the  river.  Vessels  of  large 
tonnage  find  no  difficulty  in  reaching  the  docks  of  the 
city. 

Since  1850  the  growth  of  Detroit  has  been  rapid. 
Only  one  of  the  larger  cities  in  the  United  States 
showed  a  greater  percentage  of  increase  than  Detroit 
from  1900  to  1910.  In  this  decade  Atlanta  showed  an 
increase  of  72.3  per  cent;  Detroit,  63  per  cent;  Denver, 
59.4  per  cent;  Cleveland,  46.9  per  cent;  New  York, 

38.7  per  cent;   Chicago,   28.7  per  cent;  and  Toledo, 

27.8  per  cent.^*^ 

Since  1850  there  has  been  a  decrease  in  the  per- 
centage of  foreign-born  in  Detroit.  In  that  year  the 
foreign-born  constituted  47.3  per  cent  of  the  popula- 
tion; in  1880,  39.4  per  cent;  and  in  1910,  33.6  per  cent." 
In  1910  native-born  whites  of  native  parentage  made 
24.7  per  cent  of  the  population,  and  native-born 
whites  of  foreign  or  mixed  parentage,  40.4  per  cent.*^* 
The  parentages  of  native-born  are  not  given  in  the 
data  for  1850  and  1880.  With  the  increase  in  size  of 
Detroit  there  has  come  an  increase  in  the  area  from 
which  the  population  is  drawn.  The  city  has  become 
more  cosmopolitan.  In  the  data  of  the  foreign-born 
for  1850,  nine  foreign  countries  were  represented;  in 

66.  Dept.  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Census  Report  (1910),  108- 

134. 

67.  DeBow's  Review,  XIX,  263;  Tenth  Census  Rept.,  Part  I,  542, 

551;  Thirteenth  Census  Rept.,  II,  94S. 

68.  'Thirteenth  Census  Report,  II,  948. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  195 

1910,  nineteen  were  designated.  In  1910  every  State 
in  the  Union  had  representatives  among  the  native- 
born.  One  person  of  the  465,000  had  been  born  in 
Alaska,  thirteen  in  Washington,  eleven  in  Florida,  and 
260  in  Maine.  The  near-by  States,  and  particularly 
those  to  the  East,  furnished  the  larger  numbers.  From 
New  York  had  com.e  5968;  from.  Ohio,  3405;  Pennsyl- 
vania, 1199;  Indiana,  859;  Illinois,  871;  and  Wiscon- 
sin, 307.  The  city  now  draws  a  larger  percentage  of 
its  population  than  form.erly  from  outside  the  State. 
In  1850,  30  per  cent  of  the  population  had  been  born 
in  Michigan,  in  1880  about  46  per  cent,  but  in  1910 
only  about  9  per  cent.*'^ 

The  change  in  the  composition  of  the  population  of 
the  cities  of  the  United  States  is  one  of  much  impor- 
tance to  their  social,  political,  and  economic  develop- 
m.ent.  In  m.any  if  not  most  of  our  cities  the  foreign 
elem.ent,  instead  of  scattering  throtighout  the  city, 
segregate  in  particular  portions  and  there  form,  colonies, 
speak  their  own  language  and  have  their  own  schools 
and  churches.  Under  such  conditions  they  tend  to 
resist  the  forces  working  for  assim.ilation  and  am.algam.a- 
tion,  a  fact  which  m.akes  the  source  of  the  immigrants 
a  m.atter  of  grave  concern.  The  following  table  shows 
the  nativity  of  the  population  of  Detroit  in  1850, 
1880,  and  1910:'° 

69.  Ibid. 

70.  DeBow's  Review,  XIX,  263;  Tenth  Census,  Part  I,  Population, 

542-551;  Thirteenth  Census,  II,  948.     Canada  and  those 
.  European  countries  that  have  been  important  contribu- 
tors are  the  only  ones  considered. 


196 


HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 


1850. 


1880. 


1910. 


Total  population . 
Native  born.  ... 
Foreien  born. . . . 
Not  designated . . 


Country  of  Birth: 

Germany 

Canada 

Russia 

Austria 

England  and  Wales. 

Hungary 

Italy 

Ireland 

Scotland 

Kelgium 

Turkey 

France 

Sweden 

Switzerland 

Oreece 

Netherlands 

Denmark 

Norway 

Poland 


21.010 

11,05.5 

9,fl27 

1.37 


2.851 


7 
1,245 


4 

3,289 

474 


282 


116,:?40 
70 , 695 
45,645 


2.3.769 

10.7.54 

77 

557 

4.200 

64 

127 

6 ,  77.5 

1.783 

240 


721 

55 

421 


275 

71 

27 

1,771 


465,7fiH 

303 , 33 1 

1.56,. 565 

5,870 


44,674 

41,945 

18,644 

14,160 

9.202 

5.935 

5,724 

5 ,  584 

3 ,  320 

2.2.37 

686 

637 

601 

595 

584 

584 

411 

225 


In  the  sixty  years  since  1850,  there  has  been  a  slow 
but  steady  increase  in  the  percentage  of  foreign-born 
from  the  countries  of  Southern  Europe.  For  example, 
in  1850  there  were  four  Italians  in  Detroit,  making 
.089  of  one  per  cent  of  the  population.  Thirty  years 
later  Italians  constituted  about  one  per  cent  of  the 
population,  and  numbered  127.  In  1910  the  percentage 
was  one  and  five-tenths,  and  their  number  5724.'^ 
On  the  other  hand,  many  of  the  countries  of  Northern 
Europe  show^  a  relative  decrease  in  their  representa- 
tion. In  1850  one  person  in  seven  in  Detroit  had  been 
bom  in  Ireland.  In  1880  the  proportion  was  one  in 
twenty,  and  in  1910  only  one  in  eighty.  Germans 
since  the  middle  of  last  century  at  le^st  have  been 
numerous  among  the  foreign-bom  of  Detroit.  In  1850 
they  composed  13. S  per  cent  of  the  population  of  the 
city;  in  1880,  nearly  20  per  cent;  and  in  1910,  nearly 
71.     Ibid. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  197 

10  per  cent.  Both  English  and  Scotch  born  show  a 
lower  percentage  in  the  population  of  1880  and  1910 
than  in  1850.  In  1850  there  were  7  Austrians  in 
Detroit;  in  1910  there  were  14,160.  Another  rather 
large  element  in  the  foreign  population  in  1910  were 
the  Russians,  most  of  them  Russian  Jews  and  Poles, 
who  made  about  4  per  cent  of  the  total  population. 
In  1910  the  foreign-born  from  Northwest  Europe  and 
Austria,  mostly  of  Teutonic  origin,  constituted  nearly 
18  per  cent  of  the  total  population  of  the  city,  or 
about  one-half  of  the  foreign-born.  If  to  these  are 
added  those  born  in  Canada,  the  percentage  amounts 
to  27  per  cent  of  the  total  population,  or  three-fourths 
of  the  foreign-born.  The  presence  of  so  large  a  nima- 
ber  of  people  who  represent  the  ideals  of  society  of 
the  city  and  government  under  which  the  city  has 
developed,  seems  to  insure  for  the  future  a  continua- 
tion of  these  ideals. 

In  1910  Detroit  was  a  city  of  465,766  people,  and  if 
the  many  subtirbs  are  included  the  total  population 
was  more  than  500,000.  The  city  extends  for  eleven 
miles  along  the  Detroit  River,  with  a  width  of  about 
four  and  one-half  miles.  The  influence  of  the  river 
in  determining  the  general  shape  of  the  settlement 
still  persists.  The  area  of  the  municipality  is  about 
forty  square  miles.  The  average  density  of  popula- 
tion, therefore,  is  about  11,600  people  to  the  square 
mile.  As  in  most  large  American  cities,  the  relatively 
low  average  density  is  due  to  the  inclusion  of  m.any 
thinly  settled  districts  on  the  outskirts  of  the  munici- 
pality. 

About  the  city  are  scattered  many  suburbs,  whose 


198  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

existence  is  due  largely  to  the  same  factors  that  have 
developed  the  population  group  within  the  political 
boundaries.  These  suburbs  have  grown  up  about 
some  factory  or  group  of  factories,  along  some  im- 
portant line  of  transportation,  or  simply  as  residential 
districts.  Suburbs  about  Detroit  have  their  greatest 
development  along  the  Detroit  River,  again  emphasiz- 
ing the  control  of  the  waterways. 

Unlike  most  of  our  large  cities,  modem  Detroit 
started  with  a  definite  plan,  the  work  of  Augustus 
B.  Woodward  just  after  the  great  fire  in  1805.  The 
old  town,  most  of  whose  business  streets  were  only 
twelve  to  fifteen  feet  wide,  was  destroyed  by  the  fire. 
This  gave  an  opportunity  for  development  along  any 
desired  plan.  The  Woodward  plan,  said  to  be  "similar 
to  that  of  Byzantium,"  was  on  a  grand  scale,  char- 
acteristic of  the  man  and  of  his  time. '-  Though  the  plan 
was  not  carried  out  fully,  the  topography  in  and  about 
the  city  made  easy  the  adoption  of  its  leading  features. 
The  broad,  flat  surface  of  the  lake  plain  imposed  no 
restrictions  nor  problems.  Today  avenues  one  hun- 
dred twenty  to  two  hundred  feet  wide  radiate  from 
the  center  of  the  business  section.  This  gives  large, 
open  spaces  in  the  crowded  sections,  and  facilitates 
communication  with  the  outlying  parts  of  the  city. 
Few  cities  give  such  an  impression  of  openness  and 
light  in  the  business  districts. 

The  business  section  of  Detroit  naturally  grew  up 
about  the  nucleus  of  the  old  town,  with  one  side 
extending  along  the  river  front.  During  the  first  half 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  commerce  was  the 

72.     Tenth  Census,  XIX,  Part  II.  601.   . 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  199 

chief  interest  and  occupation  of  the  people,  the  river 
front  was  the  most  active  part  of  the  city.  When 
railroads  were  constructed  their  termini  were  placed 
on  the  river  front.  Thus  for  many  decades  there  has 
been  a  tendency  to  concentrate  commerce  and  trade 
along  the  river.  Indeed,  concentration  has  gone  so 
far  that  within  the  last  decade  or  two  m.any  "sky 
scrapers"  have  been  built  to  provide  room  and  reduce 
ground  rents. 

The  residence  section  has  grown  up  about  the  busi- 
ness center.  In  the  early  decades  of  the  nineteenth 
century  the  best  residences  were  only  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes  walk  from  the  center  of  the  city.  As  the 
town  grew,  and  more  business  was  centered  in  the 
business  sections,  the  value  of  land  increased,  ground 
rents  became  higher,  and  only  business  houses  cam.e 
to  occupy  the  central  sections.  Residential  quarters 
were  driven  farther  and  farther  from  the  center.  The 
well-to-do  left  first.  They  went  to  the  outskirts,  or  to 
the  suburbs  of  the  city.  The  old  mansions  came  to 
be  tenement  houses;  for  by  crowding,  the  laboring 
people  were  able  to  reduce  the  rent  per  occupant.  As 
a  result  of  this  process  the  worst  housing  conditions 
are  to  be  found  about  the  business  section,- in  a  belt 
about  one-half  mile  wide.  There  are  relatively  few 
tenem.ent  hotises  in  the  city,  however.  Instead,  along 
miles  of  streets  may  be  seen  one  and  two  story  cot- 
tages and  houses,  the  majority  of  which  have  garden 
plots.  In  the  building  operations  for  1912,  out  of 
the  395  permits  granted,  158  were  for  residences,  99 
were  for  two  family  flats,  35  for  flats,  tenem.ents,  and 


200  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

terraces,  and  the  remainder  for  business  places. ''•'' 
Detroit  leads  the  large  cities  of  the  country  in  the 
relative  number  of  home  owners.  The  percentages  of 
the  population  owning  homes  in  the  larger  cities  of  the 
country  are  as  follows:  Detroit,  39.1 ;  Cleveland,  37.4; 
Milwaukee,  35.9;  Buffalo,  32.9;  Chicago,  26.4;  San 
Francisco,  24.1;  St.  Louis,  22.8;  Philadelphia,  22.1; 
and  New  York,  12.1.^-^ 

Factories,  whose  raw  products  are  to  be  received 
and  manufactured  wares  distributed  largely  by  rail, 
are  located  at  various  parts  of  the  city,  back  from  the 
river.  There  is  hardly  what  one  may  call  a  factory 
section.  Such  a  wide  distribution  of  factories  tends 
to  minimize  crowding  of  the  population,  and  also 
tends  to  prevent  congestion  on  city  transportation 
lines.  Ship  yards,  dry  docks,  grain  elevators,  lumber 
yards,  iron  furnaces,  and  a  few  other  plants  are  located 
along  the  river  front.  Belt  lines  connect  the  many 
railways  with  the  larger  plants. 

Detroit  has  abundant  transportation  facilities.  Seven 
railways  on  the  American  side  of  the  Detroit  River 
center  here.  Three  roads  lead  to  the  East  through 
Canada,  and  are  connected  with  Detroit  by  car  ferries 
and  a  tunnel.  Eight  interurban  lines  lead  out  from 
Detroit,  bringing  various  cities  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  Michigan  in  close  touch  with  the  city.  About 
thirty  passenger  boats  make  regular  stops  at  the 
docks  of  Detroit  during  the  season  of  navigation,  fur- 
nishing cheap  and  efficient  communication  with  all 
the  important  cities  on  the  Great  Lakes.     Like  most 

73.  Board  of  Cam.  Kept.  (1912),  47. 

74.  Thirteenth  Census  (1910),  quoted   in   Municipal  Manual  of 

Detroit  (1912-13),  203. 


CENTURY  OF  GROWTH  201 

of  the  cities  of  the  country  having  water  transporta- 
tion, Detroit  has  allowed  most  of  the  waterfront  to 
be  taken  over  by  the  railways  and  steamboat  lines. 
Freedom  of  traffic  is  thus  greatly  ciurtailed..'^^ 

The  total  length  of  tracks  of  electric  railways,  in- 
cluding both  city  and  interurban  lines,  is  about  780 
miles.  These  radiate  from  the  center  of  the  city  in 
m.any  directions.  Cross-town  lines  and  belt  lines  con- 
nect m.any  of  these  radiating  lines.  As  yet,  conges- 
tion is  not  great  enough  to  dem.and  through -routing 
of  cars;  nor  is  there,  at  present,  need  of  sub -ways, 
elevated  lines,  or  commutation  service.  Nor  are  the 
dimensions  of  the  city  large  enough  to  dem.and  rapid 
transportation.  The  city  may  be  crossed  in  m.ost 
directions  by  street  railway  in  thirty  to  fifty  minutes. 

The  water  supply  of  the  city  is  taken  from  Lake  St. 
Clair.  Up  to  within  the  last  few  decades  the  river 
furnished  the  water  for  domestic,  fire,  and  sprinkling 
purposes.  With  the  concentration  of  the  people  along 
the  river  front  to  the  northeast  of  the  center  of  the 
city,  it  becam.e  necessary  to  m.ove  the  intake  further 
up  stream..  The  present  source  of  water  is  by  no 
m.eans  free  from  possible  contamination.  In  the  not 
far  distant  future,  as  population  increases  along  St. 
Clair  River  and  Lake  St.  Clair,  Detroit  will  be  ob- 
liged to  adopt  som.e  means  of  water  purification.  As 
in  the  case  of  most  river  towns,  the  drainage  and 
sewage  of  Detroit  is  run  into  the  river.  This,  too, 
will  need  to  be  rectified  in  the  near  future. 

The  people  of  Detroit  are  well  provided  with  parks 
and   recreation   grounds.     The   parks   number   about 

75.     Transp.  by  Water,  Rept.   Com.  of  Corp.,   II,    196. 


202  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

thirty,  varying  in  size  from  one-half  acre  to  707  acres, 
the  area  of  the  Belle  Isle  Park.  The  total  acreage  of 
the  parks  is  about  twelve  hundred.  Belle  Isle,  the 
largest  park,  owes  its  attractiveness  to  its  situation  in 
the  Detroit  River,  and  to  the  large  natural  forests 
covering  about  two  hundred  acres.  The  m.any  at- 
tractive islands  and  natural  parks  easily  reached  by 
excursion  steam.ers  from  Detroit  furnish  recreation 
grounds  for  thousands  during  the  sumjn.er  m.onths. 

Detroit  today  is  one  of  the  great  m.odem  cities  of 
the  country,  in  close  touch  with  all  the  comm.ercial 
sections  of  the  world,  and  sustained  by  varied,  well- 
founded    manufacturing    and    commercial    interests.'*^ 

76.     The  development  of  the  means  of  transportation  and  the 
manufactures  will  be  discussed  in  the  succeeding  chai^tcrs. 


CHAPTER  IX    ^ 

Detroit  and  the  Development  of  Navigation 

I.     The  Development  of  the  Carrying  Agent  and  Facilities 
for  Transportation 

^HE  navigation  of  the  waterways  of  the  St.  Law- 
-*-  rence  River  system  by  white  m.en  began  long  be- 
fore the  founding  of  Detroit.  The  south  shore  of  Lake 
Superior  as  far  west  as  the  Apostle  Islands  had  been 
visited  in  1629.  In  1669  Joliet  coasted  along  the 
shores  of  Lake  Erie.  By  1670  the  French  explorers, 
traders,  and  missionaries  had  navigated  all  the  Great 
Lakes  and  knew  all  the  portages  within  the  St.  Law- 
rence Basin,  and  those  that  led  across  the  divide  to 
the  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi.  The  British  in  1685 
and  1686  sent  parties  to  trade  in  furs  with  the  Ottawa 
Indians  about  the  north  and  east  shores  of  Lake 
Huron.  From  1682  to  1701  the  mission  and  post  at 
Michilim.ackinac  was  the  rendezvous  of  the  French 
traders  and  missionaries;  but  with  the  founding  of 
Detroit  the  latter  becam.e  the  chief  collecting  and  dis- 
tributing point  for  the  com.m.erce  of  the  West,  and  for 
one  hundred  years  it  rem.ained  the  most  important 
trading  station  on  the  Great  Lakes.  For  m.any  de- 
cades in  the  second  century  of  its  existence  it  was  one 
of  the  m.ost  im.portant  cities  in  the  Lakes  region. 
Each  im.provem.ent  in  the  carrying  agent  m.ade  possible 
an  increase  in  the  commerce  of  Detroit,  but  just  how 


204  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

much  cannot  be  determined.  When  other  centers  of 
trade  and  commerce  began  to  be  developed,  the  bene- 
fits came  to  be  shared  by  other  cities.  The  vast  com- 
merce of  the  Lakes  today,  and  the  growth  in  the  past, 
is  in  part  both  the  result  and  the  cause  of  the  develop- 
ment of  the  carrying  agents.  In  a  discussion  of  the 
development  of  the  carrying  agent,  three  stages  or 
eras  are  recognized:  the  canoe  era,  the  sailboat  era, 
and  the  steamboat  era. 

For  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  years 
after  .the  French  landed  on  the  shores  of  the  lower 
St.  Lawrence  and  built  their  first  permanent  settle- 
ment, the  birch-bark  canoe  was  the  chief  carrying 
agent  used,  and  for  the  first  seventy-five  years  was 
almost  the  only  means  of  conveyance  for  men  and 
goods  on  the  lakes  and  rivers  of  the  interior  of  North 
America.  The  "dugout"  was  used  only  to  a  limited 
extent.  The  canoe  carried  Cham.plain  along  the  Ot- 
tawa River  on  his  expedition  to  Georgian  Bay  (1615). 
Nicolet  in  1643  used  it  to  visit  the  falls  at  the  Sault, 
and  the  various  tribes  of  Indians  at  the  foot  of  Green 
Bay.  Marquette  and  Joliet  floated  down  the  "Father 
of  Waters"  to  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  in  a  bark 
canoe  built  by  the  Indians  of  the  Marquette  Mission. 
The  canoe  and  the  waterways  made  possible  the  ad- 
vance into  the  interior,  that  has  ever  excited  the 
admiration  of  the  readers  of  French  history.  The 
canoe  was  as  necessary  as  the  waterways  to  success 
of  the  French  in  th^ir  interior  exploration.  Its  light 
draught  enabled  the  explorers  and  traders  to  navigate 
relatively  small  streams  so  that  the  length  of  portage 
between  the  navigated  waterways  was  short. ^ 
1.     Sec  Chapter  I. 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION  •  205 

Long  before  the  coming  of  the  French  to  the  Lakes 
region,  the  Indian  had  evolved  the  birch-bark  canoe. 
It  safely  may  be  said  that  ninety -five  per  cent  of  all 
journeys  of  the  Indians  in  the  Great  Lakes  region  were 
m.ade  on  the  water  courses,  and  the  birch  canoe  was 
almost  invariably  the  carrying  agent.-  The  French 
improved  the  canoe  by  making  it  larger  and  stronger. 
The  canoes  built  by  the  French  and  used  by  the  fur 
traders  were  on  the  average  thirty -five  feet  long,  five 
feet  wide,  and  three  or  four  feet  deep.  They  could 
carry  a  load  of  three  or  four  tons  besides  the  crew  of 
six  or  eight  men  and  provisions  weighing  upward  of 
one  thousand  pounds.  Such  a  craft  could  be  carried 
over  portages  by  two  men.^  They  were  seaworthy 
considering  their  size.  Moreover  they  were  made  from 
m.aterials  at  hand  in  the  forest,  in  a  few  days,  and 
required  few  tools  for  the  construction.  For  all  these 
reasons  the  canoe  was  for  several  years  the  sole  carrier 
used  on  the  lakes  and  rivers  of  the  Lakes  region,  and  it 
rem.ained  for  m.any  decades  the  only  carrier  on  some 
of  the  shallow  rocky  rivers  where  frequent  portaging 
was  necessary. 

At  Detroit  during  the  latter  part  of  the  French 
period,  Campbell  tells  us,^  "every  farmer  had  his  canoe, 
and  generally  several."  Some  were  dugouts  but  "there 
were  m.any  birch  bark  canoes  and  elm  bark  canoes  in 
use."  For  "long  voyages  large  sized  bark  canoes 
brought  from  the  upper  country  were  used  for  heavy 
loads." 

The  birch-bark  canoe  was  used  even  as  late  as  the 


2.  Winsor,  Nan.  and  Crit.  Hist.,  I,  294. 

3.  Henry,  Travels  in  Canada,  15.    . 

4.  Mag.  West.  Hist.,  IV,  375  (Campbell). 


206  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Crooks,  the 
partner  of  Astor  in  the  American  Fur  Company,  fre- 
quently made  the  trip  between  Buffalo  and  Mackinac 
by  canoe.  Governor  Cass  made  a  four  months'  trip 
of  four  thousand  five  hundred  miles  from  Detroit,  a 
three  months'  journey  of  fifteen  hundred  miles,  and  a 
two  months'  journe}'-  of  one  thousand  miles,  coasting 
all  the  Upper  Lakes  and  descending  the  Mississippi 
River  to  the  Ohio,  in  bark  canoes.^ 

Indispensable  as  the  canoe  was  for  certain  kinds  of 
routes  of  traffic,  it  had.  some  defects.  It  was  easily 
injured;  in  approaching  a  shallow,  gravelly,  or  stony 
shore  great  care  was  necessary.  Again,  the  bark  be- 
came brittle  when  dry  and  peeled  readily.  The  cold 
of  winter  contracted  the  bark  and  caused  it  to  split. 
The  bark  canoe  was,  therefore,  short  lived.  When  the 
canoes  were  to  be  left  for  several  days  or  weeks  they 
usually  were  buried.  Still  again,  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation by  canoe  was  very  high.*"'  In  the  Indian  trade 
in  which  profits  were  great  and  the  goods  handled 
were  costly  according  to  bulk,  the  canoes  could  be  used 
with  profit;  but  other  commodities  could  not  stand 
this  costly  method  of  transportation. 

5.  Trip  made  about  1820.     Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  I.  3S3 ;  Ma^.  West. 

Hist.,  X,  389. 

6.  In  1815  in  discussing  means  of  getting  effects  of  the  British 

army  from  Michilimackinac  to  Montreal,  the  Commis- 
sariat of  the  British  army  estimated  that  "the  whole  ex- 
pense attending  on  a  canoe  to  MichiHmackinac"  could 
not  "be  estimated  at  less  than  275  jjounds  currency." 
l^ach  canoe  could  take  sixtv-five  "canoe  ])icccs"  of  90  to 
100  pounds  each.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVI,  100  {Ottawa 
Papers,  May  12,  1815).  If  the  currency  is  reckoned  at 
par  w'ith  sterling,  the  cost  per  ton  was  85  to  90  pounds 
sterling,  or  about  $450. 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION  207 

For  these  reasons  wherever  conditions  were  suitable, 
as  on  the  large  rivers  and  lakes,  larger  and  stronger 
boats  than  the  canoe  came  to  be  built.  There  were 
several  types  of  these  semi-primitive  craft:  the  pirogue, 
the  batteau,  and  the  durham  boat. 

The  pirogue  was  a  large  "dug-out."  It  usually  was 
made  by  splitting  the  dug-out  lengthwise,  using  the 
halves  for  siding,  and  inserting  planks  for  the  bottom 
and  ends. 

According  to  Brodhead,  the  first  large  plank  bat- 
teau was  built  at  Montreal  about  1671.  It  was  two 
or  three  tons  burden  and  was  used  to  carry  provisions 
from  Lachine  to  Grenadier  Island,  a  few  leagues  above 
the  site  of  Ogdensburg,  New  York."  The  batteau  as 
usually  constructed  was  pointed  at  both  ends  and  with 
sides  straight  up  and  down.  The  bottom  was  made 
flat  with  a  slight  inclination  upward  at  each  end.  'It 
was  navigated  by  five  men  and  propelled  by  four  oars 
or  a  square  sail  when  the  wind  was  aft.  Sometimes 
the  boats  were  towed  by  m.en  walking  along  the  shore. 
Where  the  water  was  shallow  and  swift  "setting  poles" 
were  used  for  pushing  the  crafts.  The  crew  camped 
on  shore  for  the  night.  The  craft  could  carry  about 
three  tons,  or  thirty  barrels  of  flour.  It  was  the  only 
boat  used  for  m.any  decades  on  the  St.  Lawrence  to 
carry  the  bulky  articles  between  the  head  of  La  Chine 
Rapids  and  KingvSton.  Several  boats  usually  made  the 
trip  in  company  so  that  the  crews  could  assist  one 
another  at  the  difficult  places  in  the  river.  The  freight 
charges  were  gauged  by  the  price  paid  for  a  barrel  of 

7.     Brodhead,  Hist,  of  State  of  N.  Y.,  II,  188. 


208  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

mm,  the  rate  for  which  from  La  Chine  to  Kingston 
was  $3.50.^ 

Cadillac  soon  after  the  settlement  of  Detroit  pro- 
vided batteatix  for  the  traffic  of  the  Detroit  settle- 
ment. In  the  Cadillac  Papers  (Canadian  Archives)  is 
written,^  "I  could  not  send  any  of  our  oxen  or  calves 
to  France  until  after  barges  had  been  built  on  which  I 
believe  they  (the  men)  are  going  to  work  at  once.  One 
of  the  barges  will  be  on  Lake  Frontenac  (Ontario) 
and  the  other  at  Detroit  in  order  to  facilitate  the  con- 
veyance of  hides  and  wool,  which  could  not  be  affected 
by  the  canoe  transport.  Three  barges  will  also  serve 
for  other  large  skins,  for  beaver  skins  and  other  small 
furs  which  will  be  conveyed  at  less  expense  in  this 
way.  They  will  serve  for  everything  in  general  that 
is  included  in  trade,  and  they  will  be  capable  of  sail- 
ing two  thousand  leagues  in  the  surrounding  dis- 
tricts." 

The  batteaux  were  used  by  the  French  on  the  St. 
Lawrence  above  Montreal,  on  Lake  Erie  before  sailing 
vessels  were  built,  and  on  the  Ohio  River  and  its 
tributaries.  All  during  the  French  period  and  the 
early  part  of  the  English  period,  batteaux  on  Lake 
Erie  carried  goods  between  Detroit  and  the  portage  at 
Niagara. 

After  1812  Durham  boats,  from  which  the  keel  boat 
of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  was  copied,  came 
into  use.^°  These  crafts  were  first  used  on  the  Lakes 
by  the  United  States  troops  in  the  War  of  1812.  The 
Durham  boat  was  flat-bottomed,  had  a  keel  and  a 

8.  Kingsford,  Hist  of  Canada,  VII,  26. 

9.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXIII,  136. 

10.     RingAvalt,  Dcv.  oj  Transp.  System  in  U.  S.,  13. 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION  209 

centerboard,  and  was  decked  at  bow  and  stern.  A 
running-board  extended  along  the  whole  length  of  the 
sides.  On  this  the  crew  walked  while  poling  the 
boat.  Sails  were  used  when  the  wind  was  fair.  At 
other  times  men  on  shore  drew  the  craft  through  swift 
waters  by  means  of  a  tow  line.  This  craft  could  carry 
350  barrels  of  flour  down  stream.,  but  only  eighty  up.^^ 
Unlike  the  traffic. along  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  the 
chief  m.ovement  of  goods  was  upstream  on  the  St. 
Lawrence.  Many  furs  were  carried  down  to  Montreal 
and  Quebec,  but  the  great  quantities  of  provisions 
and  munitions  of  war  carried  upstream  to  the  Lakes 
region  made  a  strong  balance  for  the  up-river  traffic. 
Tr.e  fiatboat,  which  could  move  only  with  the  current, 
was  not  used. 

These  primitive  types  in  transportation  gave  rise 
to  a  distinct  type  of  river-men.  The  Canadian  voy- 
ageur  became  indispensable  to  the  fur  trade  wherever 
that  trade  was  carried  on  in  connection  with  the  water- 
ways. These  river-men  found  occupation  about  the 
'  Great  Lakes,  far  north  along  the  waterways  of  Canada, 
along  the  Missouri  River,  and  even  on  the  Pacific 
Coast.  Waterway,  canoe,  and  voyageur  were  neces- 
sary for  the  fur  trade,  that  industry  so  long  the  prev- 
alent one  in  the  interior  of  the  North  Am.erican  con- 
tinent. Hubbard  describes  the  voyageurs  as  he  saw 
them  on  the  Upper  Lakes  in  1835 1^^  ^<'pj^g  ^.|^gg  q£ 
men  known  as  coureur  de  bois,  or  voyageurs  were 
extinct  at  Detroit  sometime  before  .  .  .  1835;  but 
at  Mackinaw  and  Lake  Superior  they  found  some  of 

11.  Ihid.,  26. 

12.  Hubbard,  Mem.  oj  a  Half  Century,  150. 

27 


210  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

their  old  employment,  and  retained  a  good  deal  of 
their  ancient  character.  They  manned  the  Mackinaw 
barges  (batteaux)  and  canoes  of  the  fur-trader  that 
plied  along  the  northern  waters  for  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company.  A  wierdness  was  often  enhanced  by  the 
dash  of  Indian  blood.  Picturesque,  too,  were  they 
in  their  red  flannel  or  leather  shirts  and  cloth  cap  of 
some  gay  color,  finished  to  a  point  which  hung  over  to 
one  side  with  a  dependent  tassel. 

"They  had  a  peculiar  love  for  their  occupation  and 
muscles  that  seem.ed  never  to  tire  at  the  paddle  and 
the  oar.  From  dawn  to  sun  set  they  would  ply  these 
implements,  causing  the  canoe  to  fly  through  the 
water  like  a  thing  of  life.  .  .  .  The  labor  at  the 
oar  was  relieved  by  song  to  which  each  stroke  kept 
time  with  added  vigor." 

The  prelude  to  the  advent  of  the  sailing  vessel  as  a 
factor  in  the  commerce  of  the  Lakes  was  the  building 
of  two  vessels  by  La  Salle  about  1677  to  1678.  La 
Salle  first  built  a  small  vessel  of  about  ten  tons  burden 
at  Fort  Frontenac  (Kingston)  on  Lake  Ontario,  in 
which  he  set  sail  from  the  east  end  of  Lake  Ontario 
on  November  16,  1678,  for  Niagara  River.  He  carried 
with  him  the  equipm.ent  for  a  second  vessel,  which  he 
intended  to  build  on  the  river  above  the  falls.  This 
vessel,  the  Griffin,  built  on  Cayuga  Creek,  was  launched 
in  1679,  and  was  the  first  to  navigate  the  Upper  Lakes. 
The  building  of  these  two  vessels  was  part  of  La  Salle's 
schem.e  to  dominate  the  fur  trade  of  the  Upper  Lakes 
and  of  the  whole  interior  of  the  continent.  The 
motive  involved  in  the  building  of  these  vessels  was 
to  reduce  freight  costs  and  thus  cheapen  the"  cost  of 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION  211 

goods  to  the  Indians. ^■'^  Before  beginning  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Griffin,  the  French,  suspecting  that  the 
Enghsh  would  lose  no  time  in  stirring  up  the  Iroquois 
against  any  such  bold  attempts  to  usurp  the  trade 
of  the  Lakes,  visited  the  Senecas,  and  after  m.aking 
handsom.e  presents,  got  their  consent  to  build  a  "great 
wooden  canoe"  above  the  falls  by  m.eans  of  which, 
they  said,  they  would  be  able  to  supply  them,  with 
European  com.modities  cheaper  than  the  English  at 
New  York  or  Boston  could. ^"^  With  the  sinking  of  the 
Griffin  sank  the  hopes  of  La  Salle  to  control  the  Lake 
trade.  The  French  made  no  further  attempts  at  the 
construction  of  sailing  vessels  on  the  Lakes  above  the 
falls  for  several  years.  On  Lake  Ontario,  however, 
within  a  few  years  they  built  many  sailing  vessels  as 
adjuncts  of  the  fur  trade.  Although  batteaux  were 
much  used  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River  and  Lake  Erie, 
these  sailing  vessels  on  Lake  Ontario  were  a  great  aid 
to  the  traffic  between  Detroit  and  Montreal. 

It  is  said  that  Cadillac  owned  a  sloop  of  ten  tons  to 
ply  between  Detroit  and  Niagara,  and  that  he  prob- 
ably used  this  vessel  when  he  visited  Quebec  in  1705.^^ 

In  1726  when  the  French  got  permission  to  build  the 
second  fort  at  Niagara  they  also  secured  the  right  to 
build  two  barks  on  Lake  Erie.  These  two  vessels  were 
constructed  in  1726,^*^  and  were  used  to  carry  goods 
between  the  Niagara  Portage  and  Detroit  and  Michili- 
mackinac. 

In  preparation  for  the  final  struggle   (French  and 

13.  See  Chapter  II. 

14.  Brodhead,  Hist,  of  N.  ¥.,  II,  324. 

15.  Ross  and  Catlin,  Landmarks  of  Wayne  Co.  and  Detroit,  560. 

16.  N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  958. 


212  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

Indian  War),  both  French  and  British  saw  the  need 
of  vessels  on  the  Lakes  to  control  the  Indian  trade 
and  to  protect  the  political  interests  of  each  nation. 
Pownall  of  England  in  1754  says,^^  "The  navigation 
of  the  lakes  would  establish  a  mart  where  the  Indians 
of  every  nation  would  resort.  ...  If  the  Indian 
trade  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  which  is,  as  it  were, 
only  on  the  outskirts  of  the  continent,  is  found  so 
beneficial,  what  might  this  be  that  is  in  the  very  heart 
of  it.  The  back  settlements  in  time  will  want  a  vent 
for  their  products."  He  pointed  out  that  if  the  Eng- 
lish were  masters  of  the  Lakes,  and  consequently  had 
the  friendship  of  the  Indians,  the  French  could  have 
little  communication  between  Louisiana  and  Canada, 
and  no  effectual  communication  with  most  of  the  forts 
they  had  built  "up  and  down  the  country." 

After  taking  possession  of  the  Lakes  region  in  1763, 
the  British  built  two  vessels  on  the  Lakes  above  the 
falls.  One,  th-e  Gladwin,  besides  being  engaged  in  the 
regular  carrying  trade  of  the  Lakes,  served  a  good 
purpose  in  keeping  open  the  route  between  Detroit 
and  Buffalo  during  Pontiac's  siege.  The  other  was 
lost  in  l76vS.  Batteaux,  however,  continued  to  be 
used  in  much  of  the  carrying  trade  because  of  lack  of 
sailing  vessels. 

In  1764  Sir  William  Johnson  saw  the  need  of  increas- 
ing the  shipping  on  the  Lakes,  and  in  that  year  in  his 
report  to  the  Lords  of  Trade  wrote  that  several  vessels 
were  needed  on  Lake  Huron  and  Lake  Erie  to  protect 
the  "persons  and  property  of  his  Majesty's  subjects," 
for  in  open  boats  they  were  exposed  to  great  risks  in 

17.    Ibid.,YI,  895. 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION  213 

navigating  the  Lakes,  and  were  obliged  to  put  to 
shore  every  night  and  even  during  the  day  in  stormy 
weather. "^^ 

The  suggestion  seems  to  have  m.et  a  response,  and 
boat  building  at  His  Majesty's  yards  at  Detroit  was 
active  during  m.ost  of  the  period  of  British  occupation. 
Between  the  years  1774  and  1782,  nine  vessels,  ranging 
in  size  from  18  tons  to  136  tons  burden  were  launched 
at  the  Detroit  yards.  These  vessels  were  not  only  for 
defense  and  for  the  carrying  of  supplies  to  the  garri- 
sons at  the  posts,  but  were  also  engaged  in  the  regular 
carrying  trade  of  the  Lakes.  Soon  after  1763  the 
British  Government  sought  to  control  the  traffic  on 
the  Lakes,  and  by  the  year  1776  it  was  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  the  King's  service. ^^ 

No  vessels  except  those  belonging  to  the  King  were 
allowed  to  navigate  on  the  Lakes,  though  small  sloops 
were  owned  by  various  individuals.  This  move  en 
the  part  of  the  Governm.ent  seems  to  have  been  promp- 
ted by  the  fear  that  the  Am.ericans  m.ight  get  a  foot- 
hold and  compete  with  the  British  subjects  in  the 
fur  trade.  Especially  was  this  notion  entertained  after 
1783.  About  1784,  Haldim.and  wrote  to  Lord  Syd- 
ney,^°  "The  navigation  of  the  lakes  by  the  King's 
vessels  only  is  an  object  so  nearly  connected  with  the 
entire  preservation  of  the  fur  trade,  that  I  have  with- 
stood various  applications  for  building  and  navigating 
vessels  upon  the  Lakes.  No  precautions  that  could 
be  taken  wovild  be  effectual  in  preventing  a  great 

18.  Ibid.,  VII,  600. 

19.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XIX,  674. 

20.  Ibid.,  XX,  278. 


•214  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 

part  of  the  furs  from  going  directly  into  the  American 
states. 

"I  would  therefore  recommend  by  all  means  that  a 
sufficient  number  of  King's  vessels  be  kept  on  the 
lakes  and  all  other  craft  prohibited,  not  only  for  the 
foregoing  reasons,  but  in  events  to  preserve  a  superior- 
ity upon  these  waters." 

This  Government  monopoly,  however,  served  to 
hinder  free  intercourse  with  the  East.  The  vessels 
were  sm.all,  and  when  engaged  in  the  King's  service 
neglected  the  comnaercial  interests  of  the  Lakes.  The 
growing  trade  in  peltries  soon  outstripped  the  carry- 
ing capacity  of  these  vessels.'-^  Although  from  tim.e  to 
tim.e  special  permission  was  given  to  private  vessels  to 
carry  peltries  "with  orders  not  to  quit  com.pany  with 
the  King's  vessels  with  which  they  were  to  sail  except  in 
the  stress  of  weather,"-'-  every  year  saw  larger  quantities 
of  fur  unable  to  reach  the  market  because  of  lack  of 
transportation  facilities.  In  1785  conditions  were  more 
acute,  and  a  petition  was  sent  to  General  Haldimand 
describing  the  situation  of  the  m.erchants  at  Detroit 
stating,  "if  more  vessels  were  not  employed  by  the 
govemm.ent,  or  permission  given  to  transport  their  own 
property  in  crafts  of  their  own,  the  trade  of  the  place 
would  suffer  m.aterially,  and  would  probably  cause  the 
fall  of  som.e  of  the  first  houses  concerned  in  supplying 
the  merchandise  at  Detroit."  Because  of  poor  trans- 
portation facilities,  "one  thousand  packs  of  furs  and 
peltries,"  they  said,  "which  used  annually  to  be  re- 
mitted to  Montreal  have  this  year  from  an  inability 

21.     f bid.,  XI.  424. 
12.     Ibid. 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION  215 

to  supply  the  trader  in  time  been  sent  to  New  Orleans;" 
upward  of  fifty  batteaux  which  left  Detroit  in  the  fall 
loaded  with  goods  for  the  Indian  trade  were  frozen 
up  before  they  reached  their  destination,  and  many 
traders  after  a  fruitless  attendance  returned  unsup- 
plied."^  The  num.ber  of  vessels  was  increased,  and  by 
1788  it  was  reported  that  there  were  five  sm.all  sailing 
vessels  on  Lakes  Erie  and  Huron  and  one  of  consider- 
able burden  still  on  the  stocks.  Some  of  the  sm.aller 
ones  carried  only  from,  four  to  ten  batteati  loads. 

With  the  transfer  of  the  posts  to  the  Am.ericans  in 
1796,  on  the  Lakes  there  soon  appeared  vessels  built 
in  yards  of  the  United  States.  It  took  m.any  years, 
however,  to  overshadow  the  shipping  owned  by  the 
British.  The  first  Am.erican-built  boat  on  Lake  Erie 
was  a  craft  of  thirty  tons,  built  in  1795,  by  Captain 
Lee.  It  had  no  crew;  the  passengers  assisted  in 
navigating  the  vessel.  A  year  later  the  Erie  Packet 
was  built  at  Erie  and  used  in  local  trade. -^  The  first 
Am.erican  schooner  built  on  the  Lakes  was  launched 
at  Four  Mile  Creek  near  Erie,  Pennsylvania;  it  was 
called  the  Washington.-^  In  1798  a  sloop  was  con- 
structed by  E.  Beebe  at  Erie;  it  was  used  in  the  trade 
between  Buffalo  and  the  ports  on  Lake  Erie.-°  This 
was  the  beginning  of  the  trade  that  taxed  the  capacity 
of  the  vessels  on  Lake  Erie  far  on  into  the  next  cen- 
tury. Slowly  but  surely  the  shipbuilding  industry 
grew.  Between  1800  and  1805  six  schooners  and  three 
sloops  were  built  on  the  Lakes.     During  the  War  of 

2i.  Ibid.,  XI,  461. 

24.  Plumb,  Hist,  of  Navigation  of  Great  Lakes,  12. 

25.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIX,  519;  Ibid.,  XXI,  43,  352. 

26.  Plumb,  Hist,  oj  Navigation  oj  Great  Lakes,  12. 


216  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

1812  there  was  great  activity  at  the  yards  on  Lake 
Erie,  making  preparation  for  the  final  struggle  which 
should  determine  the  supremacy  of  the  Lakes.  In 
1818  the  first  steamer  appeared,  but  sailing  vessels  con- 
tinued to  be  in  the  majority  as  late  as  1886  or  '87.'-^ 
The  number  of  sailing  vessels  in  service  on  the  Great 
Lakes  by  decades,  starting  with  1870,  is  as  follows: 

1870—1545  sailing  vessels,  tonnage  254,820 
1880 — 1415  sailing  vessels,  tonnage  302,260 
1890—1236  sailing  vessels,  tonnage  320,000 
1900 —  813  sailing  vessels,  tonnage  333,906. 

In  1906  there  were  only  511  sailing  vessels  with  a  ton- 
nage of  268,580.-^  No  statistics  are  available  to  show 
the  relative  importance  of  the  various  lake  ports  in 
these  decades  in  the  coilstruction  of  sailing  vessels  or 
in  the  tonnage  registered. 

The  steamboat  era  on  Lake  Erie  began  with  the 
Walk-in-the-Water,  built  at  Black  Rock  near  Buffalo 
in  1818.  An  issue  of  the  Detroit  Gazette  for  1818 
contains  the  item:-^  "The  Erie  steamboat  from  Buf- 
falo arrived  on  her  first  trip  on  the  22  of  August." 

The  Walk-in-the-Water  was  135  feet  long,  32  foot 
beam,  8.5  feet  draught,  and  had  a  low  pressure  square 
engine.  The  engine  was  transported  from  New  York 
to  Albany  in  a  sloop,  thence  overland  in  wagons  to 
Buffalo.  On  the  trip  from  Buffalo  to  Detroit  the 
Walk-in-the-Water  burned  on  the  average  30  to  40 
cords   of  wood.     The  fare   from   Buffalo   was   $6   to 


27.  Trans,  by  Water,  Cen.  Kept.,  122. 

28.  Transp.  by  Water,  Census  Kept.,  (1906),  122. 

29.  Quoted  in  Niks'  Weekly  Keg.,  XV,  92. 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION  217 

Erie,  thirteen  to  Cleveland,  fifteen  to  Sandusky,  and 
$18  to  Detroit.^o 

Flint  describes  this  first  steamer  as  follows  :^^  "A 
fine  vessel  of  330  tons  with  two  masts  and  rigged  for 
taking  advantage  of  the 'wind  in  the  manner  of  the 
ocean  crafts.  The  interior  of  this  vessel  is  elegant 
and  the  entertainment  is  luxurious." 

The  average  speed  of  the  Walk-in-the-Water  was 
eight  miles  per  hour,  and  it  took  from  thirty-six  to 
forty-nine  hours  to  reach  Detroit  from  Black  Rock; 
frequently  the  time  was  two  to  three  days.  There  was 
no  harbor  at  Buffalo  at  the  time,  so  Black  Rock  was 
used  as  the  eastern  terminus.^-  The  power  of  the 
engines  was  so  low  that  no  headway  could  be  m.ade 
against  the  strong  current  of  the  Niagara  River.  The 
passage  to  Lake  Erie  from  Black  Rock  was  accom.- 
plished  by  what  was  familiarly  called  the  "horned 
breeze," — several  yoke  of  oxen.^^ 

The  cabins  were  on  the  upper  deck.  There  were  six 
berths  on  each  side  of  cabins,  with  a  walk  of  eight  or 
ten  feet  between  berths.^"*  Compared  with  the  luxuri- 
ous steamers  of  today  the  Walk-in-the-Water  was 
small  indeed,  but  at  that  time  it  was  heralded  as  the 
greatest  advance  of  the  age.  Small  as  it  was,  the 
travelers  of  that  time  saw  in  it  a  great  advance  over 
the  small  slow-going,  unreliable,  uncomfortable  schoon- 
ers. 

The    movement    of    the    Walk-in-the-Water    w^as 


30.  Morrison,  Hist,  of  Steam  Navigation,  366. 

31.  Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  IX,  314  (Flint). 

32.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XIV,  536. 

33.  Ibid.,  VI,  480. 

34.  Ibid.,  XIV,  536. 


218  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

scheduled  and  announced  in  the  newspapers  of  the 
day  much  as  are  the  ocean  Hncrs  of  our  time.  The 
first  trip  to  Mackinac  in  1819  was  advertised  in  the 
New  York  papers.  Said  the  New  York  Mercantile 
Advertiser,'^'-'  "The  swift  steatner  Walk-in-the- Water  is_ 
intended  to  make  a  voyage  early  in  the  summer  from 
Buffalo  on  Lake  Erie  to  Michillimackinac  on  Lake 
Huron.  The  trip  has  so  near  a  resemblance  to  the 
famous  legendary  expedition  in  the  Heroic  Ages  of 
Greece  that  expectation  is  quite  alive  on  the  subject. 
Many  of  our  most  distinguished  citizens  are  said  to 
have  already  engaged  their  passage  for  this  splendid 
adventure."  The  round  trip  from  Buffalo  to  Macki- 
nac took  on  the  average  twelve  days. 

The  Walk-in-the-Water  was  used  mostly  for  carry- 
ing emigrants  and  their  effects,  and  provisions  and 
Indian  goods,  to  the  West  and  bringing  in  return  furs 
and  peltries.  Detroit  for  most  of  the  trips  was  the 
western  terminus.  An  occasional  trip  was  made  to 
Mackinac.  There  was  so  little  traffic  at  that  early 
period  that  a  dividend  was  paid  the  owners  only  after 
three  years.  After  three  years  of  service  the  Walk- 
in-the-Water  was  wrecked  during  a  storm  on  Lake 
Erie. 

In  1822  the  Superior  was  built  to  replace  the  Walk- 
in-the-Water;  in  1824  the  Chippewa  and  in  1825  the 
Henry  Clay  and  Pioneer  were  added.  All  were  used 
in  carrying  emigrants  to  the  West.  Detroit  was  the 
western  terminus  for  most  of  these  vessels. 

The  growth  of  the  steam-shipping  was  slow.  By 
1825,  seven  steamers  had  been  built.     In   1826,  four 

35.     DoBovv's  Renciv,  IV.  386. 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION 


219 


were  built.  This  was  incident  to  the  opening  of  the 
Erie  Canal.  By  1830,  eleven  had  been  launched,  and 
by  1840,  seventy-two.  After  1852  the  number  launched 
increased  rapidly.  In  1853,  twenty-nine  went  into 
service;  in  1854,  thirty-one.  The  banner  year  up  to 
1880  seems  to  have  been  1864,  when  one  hundred  fifty- 
seven  steamers  with  a  total  tonnage  of  70,669  were 
launched.  The  number  constructed  during  each  ten 
year  period  after  1840  is  as  follows  i^*^ 

1841-1850,  inclusive,  96 
1851-1860,  inclusive,  249 
1861-1870,  inclusive,  611 
1871-1880,  inclusive,  660 
1881-1890,  inclusive,  1419 

Since  1890  there  has  been  a  decHne  in  numbers, 
but  an  increase  in  the  tonnage  of  the  vessels  built 
per  year. 

The  nimaber,  gross  tonnage,  and  average  tonnage  of 
steam  vessels  in  service  on  the  Great  Lakes  since  1870 
are  as  follows:" 


1870. 

1880. 

1890. 

1900 

1906 


Number 
of  steam 
vessels. 


62.5 

912 

1507 

1719 

1824 


Gross 
tonnage. 


136,980 

209,465 

648,725 

1,106,842 

1,8.38,136 


Average 
tonnage. 


219 
230 
430 
644 
1,008 


36      Tenth  Cens.,  Spec.  Rept.  on  Steamboats,  11;  Trans,  by  Water, 

Cens.  Rept.  (1906),  128. 
37.     Transp.  by  Water,  Census  Rept.  (1906),  122. 


220  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

These  figures  show  that  while  the  nimiber  of  vessels 
has  increased  to  nearly  threefold,  the  average  tonnage 
in  1906  was  nearly  five  times  that  of  1870.  The 
average  steamer  in  1906  was  nearly  five  times  as  large 
as  the  average  in  1870. 

There  have  been  great  changes  and  improvements 
in  the  steamer  during  the  ninety  or  more  years  since 
the  appearance  of  the  early  steamers  on  the  Lakes, 
The  hulls  have  been  improved  in  shape  and  in  size, 
the  spars  and  rigging  have  been  reduced,  and  sails  are 
no  longer  to  be  seen,  except  on  some  small  barges. 
Great  improvements  have  been  made  in  the  engines 
and  boilers.  The  consumption  of  fuel  has  been  re- 
duced, and  speed  and  efficiency  have  been  increased. 
The  screw  propeller  as  a  means  of  locomotion  has 
replaced  the  paddle-wheel,  except  on  some  of  the 
passenger  vessels. 

The  first  vessel  on  the  Lakes  equipped  with  a  screw 
propeller  was  the  Vandalia,  sloop-rigged,  of  150  tons, 
built  on  Lake  Erie  in  1842.  In  1843  the  Hercules  and 
Sampson  were  constructed.  These  marked  a  great 
advance  in  steam  navigation. ^^ 

The  use  of  the  propeller  allowed  the  placing  of  the 
engine  in  the  rear  part  of  the  boat,  making  it  possible 
to  have  one  large  hold  for  the  cargo.  This  greatly 
facilitated  loading  and  unloading  the  cargo.  The  re- 
duction of  the  size  of  the  engine  gave  greater  carrying 
capacity,  .and  other  improvements  have  increased  the 
efficiency  of  the  engines  and  the  speed  of  the  vessels. 
In  1860  began  the  era  of  the  screw  propeller  in  vessels 
of  one  thousand  tons  or  more.^^ 


38.  Morrison,  Hist,  of  Steam  Navigation,  372. 

39.  Ibid. 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION  221 

Since  the  early  eighties,  steel  has  come  more  and 
more  to  be  a  factor  in  the  construction  of  vessels.  In 
1875  there  were  sixteen  iron  vessels  on  the  Lakes,  with 
an  aggregate  tonnage  of  15,585.  In  1885  there  were 
thirty-four  m.etal  vessels.  In  1890  there  were  eighty- 
eight;  in  1900,  318;  and  in  1906,  543.  With  an  increase 
in  numbers  there  likewise  has  com.e  an  increase  in 
size.  In  1875  the  average  tonnage  per  vessel  was 
974;  in  1885,  1001;  in  1895,  1582;  in  1906,  3811.  In 
1907  there  were  nine  vessels  that  were  7,000  tons  or 
more  in  capacity.  These  vessels  if  loaded  to  their 
maximum  draught  (nineteen  feet) ,  are  capable  of  carry- 
ing fourteen  thousand  tons  of  coal,  the  equivalent  of 
about  three  or  four  hundred  railroad  car  loads. ^"^ 

With  the  increase  in  experience  in  building,  and  in- 
crease in  traffic,  came  specialization  in  types.  Today 
there  are  packet  steamers,  passenger  steamers,  ore  ves- 
sels, limiber  vessels,  coal  vessels,  tugs,  sand-scows,  oil- 
vessels,  ferry  boats,  and  car  ferries,  each  built  for  a 
special  line  of  traffic  and  not  generally  used  in  other 
lines  of  traffic.  By  far  the  larger  number  of  steamers 
on  the  Lakes  are  the  "bulk-cargo"  crafts.  These  ves- 
sels carry  cargo-lots  of  a  single  commodity.  They 
maintain  no  regular  schedule,  though  they  operate  over 
only  a  limited  number  of  routes.  This  type  is  increas- 
ing in  importance  in  the  transportation  of  coal,  iron, 
wheat  and  lumber. 

The  increase  in  size  of  vessels,  both  sailing  and  steam., 
im.provements  in  engines  and  boilers,  and  specialization 
in  types,  combined  with  improved  facilities  for  hand- 
ling the  cargoes  at  the  docks  have  reduced  greatly  the 
40.     Transp.  by  Water,  Census  Rept.,  124,  126. 


222  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

cost  of  Lake  transportation.  Detroit,  along  with  the 
other  Lake  ports,  has  directly  and  indirectly  reaped  the 
benefits  of  the  lower  freights. 

In  shipbuilding  Detroit  has  been,  for  as  far  back  as 
there  are  available  statistics,  am.ong  the  more  import- 
ant ports  and  customs  districts  of  the  Lakes.  For  a 
time  the  Detroit  region  owed  its  importance  in  ship- 
building to  the  great  quantities  of  ship  timber  (oak) 
in  the  imm.ediate  vicinity  of  Detroit.  For  m.any  years 
Michigan  supplied  m.uch  oak  timber  as  well  as  iron 
to  the  shipyards  in  the  East."*^  By  1880,  however,  ship 
timber  was  scarce  in  Michigan,  -nearly  all  the  large 
tim.ber  had  been  used,  and  in  the  three  large  ship- 
yards at  Detroit  only  short  tim.bers  were  being  used."*- 
For  the  years  1880  to  1889,  inclusive,  Detroit  stood 
fifth  am.ong  the  custom.s  districts  of  the  Lakes  region 
in  the  num.ber  of  vessels  constructed.  In  1880  it  was 
second  am.ong  the  Lake  districts.''''  In  the  total  num- 
ber and  tonnage  of  vessels  constructed  for  the  years 
1887,  1888,  and  1889  it  stood  third  among  the  ship- 
building districts.  The  data  for  these  three  years  for 
the  leading  three  districts  are  as  follows  :^^ 


TV  .  •  i  i      Xo.  of 

District.  vessels. 


Tonnage. 


Huron 92 

Cuyahoga 58 

Detroit I  50 


61,424 
77,343 
53,515 


41.  Tenth  Census  (1880),  Spec.  Kept,  on  Shipbuilding,  171. 

42.  Ibid. 

43.  Eleventh  Census,  Trans  p.  by  Water,  266. 

44.  //)/(/.,  267. 


GREAT  LAKES   NAVIGATION  223 

Of  late  years  the  Detroit  region  has  occupied  a  high 
rank  in  the  building  of  steel  steam.ers.  In  1910  there 
were  constructed  at  the  Detroit  shipyards  nine  steel 
stearn.ers  with  a  total  tonnage  of  37,275.  At  the  Cleve- 
land shipyards  nineteen  steam.ers  were  built  with  a 
tonnage  of  79,442;  at  Newport  News,  seven  steam.ers 
with  a  tonnage  of  34,900;  and  at  Baltim.ore,  eight 
steamers  with  a  tonnage  of  27,800.'*^  These  were  the 
leading  four  shipbuilding  districts  in  the  United  States 
for  that  year.  Detroit  stood  second  in  the  list  in 
num.ber  of  steam.ers  and  tonnage.  In  1912  Detroit  led 
all  other  shipbuilding  districts  of  the  United  States  in 
the  num.ber  and  tonnage  of  steel  steamers  construct ed."^*^ 
This  was  an  exceptionally  prosperous  year  for  the 
Detroit  3^ards.  In  1911  Detroit  was  seventh  in  rank 
in  the  number  of  vessels  and  second  in  rank  in  tonnage 
of  vessels  built. ^^  In  1913  Detroit  was  fifth  in  order 
of  number  of  vessels  and  fourth  in  tonnage  of  vessels 
constructed.'^^ 

Althotigh  consecutive  authentic  data  regarding  the 
registered  shipping  and  transportation  facilities  at  the 
various  ports  are  lacking  for  the  decades  until  about 
1890  the  occasional  report  obtainable  indicates  that 
Detroit  has  been  among  the  foremost  Lake  ports  in 
registered  tonnage.  The  position  of  the  city  on  one 
of  the  m.ain  routes  of  the  Great  Lakes  has  always 
insured  it  abundant  transportation  facilities,  potential 
facilities  at  least.     Evans  in  1818  wrote, ^^  ''Detroit  has 

45.  Bureau  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Rept.  of  Com.  of  Navigation 

(1910),  217. 

46.  Ibid.  (1912),  239. 

47.  /6/J.  (1911),  287. 

48.  Ibid.  (1913),  203. 

49.  Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  VIII,  222  (Evans). 


224  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

a  central  situation  for  the  fur-trade  in  the  Northwest 
and  there  is  a  considerable  comniercial  connection 
between  this  place  and  Chicago  and  Green  Bay." 
The  "pemaanent"  registered  tonnage  for  the  Lake 
ports  for  1815  was  for  Owsego,  295  tons;  Sackett's 
Harbor  317.6,  Erie  27,  Detroit  159.^°  (No  returns 
for  Buffalo  Creek  and  Genesee).  According  to  these 
data.  Lake  Ontario  was  much  more  prominent  in 
the  commerce  of  the  Lakes  than  was  Lake  Erie. 
The  Lake  Ontario  region  was  much  better  peopled  at 
this  time  than  were  the  lands  about  Lake  Erie.  Migra- 
tion to  northern  Ohio  and  Indiana  had  hardly  begun 
and  much  less  so  to  Michigan.  Moreover,  much  of  the 
shipping  of  both  Lakes  Erie  and  Ontario  had  been 
destroyed  during  the  War  of  1812. 

By  1820  the  Lake  Erie  ports  had  become  more 
populous,  and  began  to  assiune  som.e  importance  in 
the  Lake  shipping.  The  perm.anent  registered  tonnage 
for  the  Lake  ports  for  the  year  ending  December  31, 
1820,  was  as  follows  :^^ 


Genesee 

313.6, 

Oswego 

260, 

Sackett's  Harbor 

424, 

Buffalo 

no  returns, 

Cuyahoga 

(Cleveland) 

195, 

Sandusky 

126, 

Detroit 

393, 

Michillimackinac   no  returns. 

50.  Ant.  State  Papers,  Cow.  and  Xav.,  II,  40. 

51.  Ibid.,  518,  519. 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION  225 

Detroit  at  this  time  stood  second  in  rank  among  the 
ports  from,  which  there  were  returns. 

With  the  setthng  of  the  Detroit  region  and  Michi- 
gan by  Americans,  Detroit  became  the  western  ter- 
minus for  m.any  saihng  vessels  and  steamboat  Hnes. 
Between  April  8  and  19,  inclusive,  in  1830,  there 
arrived  at  Detroit  fourteen  steamboats  and  schooners, 
and  from  June  19  to  25,  inclusive,  in  1832,  the  en- 
trances were  eight  steam.ers  and  eight  sailing  vessels.^" 
These  vessels  were  employed  in  the  transfer  of  both 
passengers  and  freight,  the  latter  consisting  of  grain, 
lum.ber,  meat,  fish,  flour,  hides,  and  skins. ^^ 

In  1837  there  were  registered  at  the  Lake  Erie  ports 
145  schooners,  58  sloops,  2  brigs,  and  2  sailing  vessels 
besides  47  steamboats. ^"^     The  vessel  interests  at  De- 
troit owned  42  schooners,  37  sloops,  3  brigs,  and  17 
steamers,  most  of  which  were  registered  in  the  Detroit 
district.^^  YThe  total  tonnage  of  the  Lake  Erie  ports     ^  ^^-^ 
was  about  24,000,  that  of  Detroit  6700.'^'^     Detroit  had     "'^ " 
38  per  cent  of  the  registered  vessels  on  Lake  Erie  and 
28  per  cent  of  the  registered  tonnage.     It  held  second 
rank  among  the  Lake  Erie  ports"  in  registered  ton- 
nage.    In  1838  Detroit  had  steam.boat  lines  to  Buffalo, 
to  Fort  Gratiot  (Pt.  Huron)  and  to  Chicago.  \  Steam.ers  j\! 
on  these  traffic  lines  stopped  at  all  the  cities  and  vil-      \ 

52.  Palmer,  Early  Days  in  Detroit,  46. 

53.  Ibid. 

54.  Niles  Weekly  Reg.,  LI,  352. 

55.  MacCabe,  Directory  of  Detroit  (1837),  10. 

56.  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  LI,  352.  — . 

57.  Some  writers  consider  Detroit  a  Lake  Erie  port.     In  the  early  \ 

part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  its  commerce  was  \ 
almost  wholly  with  the  cities  to  the  south  and  east,  it  may 
be  considered  so,  very  properly,  — — > 

29 


•220  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

lages  en  route.^^  It  is  reported  that  in  1846  the  trade 
of  the  Lakes  required  60  steamers,  20  propellers,  50 
brigs,  and  270  schooners.^^ 

In  1849,  43  steam.ers  registered  from  Detroit,  42  from 
Buffalo,  and  from  all  the  Lake  ports  140.  Detroit, 
therefore,  owned  30  per  cent  of  the  number  of  vessels 
on  the  Lakes. "^^  Andrews  lists  the  steamers  registered 
at  the  Lake  ports  in  1852  as  follows:  Detroit  47, 
Buffalo  42,  Cleveland  13,  Mackinac  12,  Presque  Isle  7, 
Chicago  4,  Toledo  4,  Sandusky  l.*^^ 

Detroit  and  Buffalo  at  this  time  were  termini  for  the 
more  important  steamer  lines  on  the  Lakes.  Com- 
merce on  the  Lakes  in  the  early  fifties  was  mainly  the 
transfer  of  emigrants  and  manufactured  goods  and 
package  freight  westward  and  the  carrying  of  grains 
and  lumber  eastward. *"'-  The  great  commerce  in  iron 
ore  and  coal  is  of  more  recent  development.  Since  the 
days  of  the  Walk-in-the-Water,  Detroit  has  been  one 
of  the  great  centers  for  Lake  steamer  lines.  In  1857 
three  of  the  largest  steamers  on  the  Lakes  ran  daily 
between  Detroit  and  Buffalo  during  the  season  of 
navigation,  m.aking  the  voyage  one  way  in  fifteen 
hours.  Six  sm.all  steamers  from  Detroit  were  in  the 
Lake  Superior  trade.  Two  steamers  ran  between  De- 
troit and  Green  Bay,  fotir  between  Detroit  and  Port 
Huron,  two  to  Toledo,  one  to  Saginaw,  two  to  Cleve- 
land. Steamboat  lines  also  were  established  from 
Detroit   to   Sandusky,   to   Port   Sarnia,    to   Dunkirk, 

58.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXVIII,  595  (Chase). 

59.  DeBow's  Rr^'irw,  I.  158  (Editor's  note). 

60.  Ibid.,  II,  448. 

61.  Andrews,  Trade  and  Com.  of  British  Colonies  with  the  U.  S., 

Exec.  Doc.  112,  32nd  Congress,  51. 

62.  Ibid.,  55. 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION 


227 


where  connections  were  m.ade  with  the  New  York  and 
Erie  Railway,  and  to  Ogdensburg.  Besides  these  there 
were  num.erous  barges  and  schooners  not  running  on 
any  schedule/'^ 

In  1870  there  were  eight  hnes  of  steamers  from. 
Detroit  to  the  various  Lake  ports,  and  on  many  of 
the  ■  hnes  steam.ers  left  Detroit  daily.  More  than 
seventy  steam.ers  in  these  lines  used  Detroit  as  a 
terminus  or  touched  at  Detroit. '^■^ 

The  leading  five  lake  ports  in  total  passenger  traffic 
on  the  Lakes  in  1889,  with  the  regular,  excursion,  and 
ferry  passengers,  were  as  follows  i*^^ 


Total 
passengers. 

Regular 
passengers. 

Excursion 
passengers. 

Ferry- 
passengers. 

Detroit 

Pt.  Huron 

Gd.  Haven 

406,317 
349,199 
329,870 
257,046 
173,696 

233,196 

81,924 

177,302 

* 

57,260 

173,121 

16,347 

8,960 

257,046 
43,530 

* 
2.50,925 
143  608 

Toledo 

Sandusky 

* 
72,906 

The  total  passenger  traffic  for  the  whole  Lakes  in 
1889  was  2,235,993;  of  the  total  Detroit  had  about  22 
per  cent.'^'^ 

The  increase  in  population  in  the  Lakes  region,  the 
reduction  in  cost  of  transportation,  the  greater  per 
capita  wealth,  and  the  greater  leisure  have  contrib- 
uted toward  increasing  the  passenger  traffic.  The 
total  nmnber  of  passengers  reported  from,  the  different 
districts  on  the  Great  Lakes  in  1906  was  16,300,000. 

63.  Roberts,  Sketches  oj  the  City  of  the  Straits,  20;  Distumell,  Trip 

Through  Lakes  and  St.  Lawrence  Valley  (1857),  135. 

64.  Farmer,  Map  of  Michigan  (1870). 

65.  Not  separately  listed.     {Eleventh  Census  (1890),  Transporta- 

tion bv  Water,  339). 

66.  Ibid. 


22S 


HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 


Of  this  number  Detroit  was  credited  with  7,400,000, 
or  about  45  per  cent  of  the  total.  These  figures  in- 
ckided  passengers  carried  by  ferries,  excursions  steam- 
ers, and  l)y  passenger  and  freight  vessels,  these  not 
being  separately  listed."  The  remarkable  showing 
made  by  Detroit  in  the  passenger  business  is  due  to 
the  location  of  the  city  on  a  large  navigable  river 


iq  10 

Cipal    Lahe  Port* 


between  Lake  Erie  and  the  Upper  Lakes.  The  city 
park  on  Belle  Isle,  Windsor  opposite,  many  recreation 
parks  on  the  islands  in  St.  Clair  and  Detroit  rivers 
and  in  Lake  Erie,  and  the  several  lake  cities  to  which 
steam.er  lines  extend  from  Detroit,  all  contribute  to 
give  Detroit  a  great  passenger  traffic.''^'' 

67.  Transp.  by  Water,  Census  Kept.  (1906),  144. 

68.  Evans  comments  on  this  as  early  as  1818.     See  Thwaites, 

Early  Western  Travels,  VIII,  222  (Evans). 


GREAT  LAKES  NAVIGATION 


229 


Detroit  reaps  only  indirectly  the  benefits  of  facilities 
for  transportation  offered  by  the  "bulk  cargo"  carriers 
of  the  Lakes.  The  mines,  the  forests,  and  the  grain 
fields  of  the  Great  Lakes  region  are  the  sources  from, 
which  m.ost  of  the  com.m.odities  carried  on  the  Lakes 
originate.  In  1898  coal,  iron  ore,  kmi.ber,  grain,  and 
flour  constituted  nearly  92  per  cent  of  the  total  traffic 


Receipts 

Shipments                                                    1 

lo                        s     n  i  M    .  «  . 

Ton 

a        5                                   10                                 15             1 

Dul  u.th 

Supfrior-W  Superior 
Ash+abola                ^ 

Buf-fal'o 

Chica<)o  -5  Chicago 
Clevelond 
Two   Harborj 
Connea+ 
M  i  1  waukec 
Escanaba 
To  1 e  d  o 
Loral  n 
E»-ie 

Ludirl  <)  tori 
Mani  +  oac 
Oe+roit 

-( 

- 

Traffic  in  all  Commodities  in  1910  at  the  Principal 

Lake  Ports 

{Data  from  Monthly  Sin/unary  of  Coiuincrce  and  I'lnance,  DeccDibcr,  igil, 

g6o) 

of  the  Lakes. "^^  Moreover,  local  traffic  on  the  Great 
Lakes  is  small;  nearly  all  the  commodities  are  carried 
from  one  end  of  the  Lake  system,  to  the  other.  Coal, 
which  constitutes  almost  entirely  the  west  bound  traf- 
fic, is  carried  from  the  ports  of  Lake  Erie  to  the  ports 
on  the  western  shores  of  Lakes  Michigan  and  Superior. 
Iron  ore,  mined  in  the  Superior  region,  goes  mostly 

69.     Tunell,  Siat.  on  Com.  of  Lakes,  55th  Congress,  2nd  Session, 
H.  D.  No.  277,  9. 


230  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

to  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie  and  to  Chicago.  Most 
of  the  grain  is  shipped  from  Chicago,  Milwaukee, 
DuKith,  and  Superior  to  Buffalo.  Lumber  is  no  longer 
an  important  commodity  in  the  commerce  of  the 
Lakes.  Detroit,  being  situated  on  the  border  of  a 
region  which  neither  originates  nor  consumes  much  of 
any  of  these  commodities,  has  little  traffic  in  them,  and 
consequently  little  of  the  traffic  of  the  Lakes.  In  1889 
Detroit  was  surpassed  by  sixteen  of  the  Lake  ports  in 
tonnage  of  freight  received  and  shipped.  Only  764,553 
tons  of  freight  out  of  51,200,000  for  the  whole  Lakes 
passed  over  the  docks  at  Detroit.'"  In  1906  Detroit 
stood  twenty-first  in  rank  among  the  Lake  ports  in 
total  freight  handled."^  The  60,000,000  tons  of  freight 
that  pass  the  city  yearly"-  transported  mostly  in 
"bulk  cargo"  carriers,  is  no  index  of  the  importance 
of  the  city  in  the  commerce  of  the  Lakes.  The  facili- 
ties for  transportation  offered  by  the  20,000  to  30,000 
vessels  (estimated)  that  pass  Detroit  yearly  must  be 
considered  merely  as  "potential"  facilities  in  Lake 
transportation  for  Detroit. 

70.  Eleventh  Census  (1890),  Transp.  by  Water,  321. 

71.  Transp.  by  Water,  Census  Kept.  (1906),  134. 

72.  Ibid.,  153. 


CHAPTER  X 

Detroit  and  the  Development  of  Water  Trans- 
portation 

II. — Waterways  and  Water  Routes 

nnHE  surface  levels  of  the  Great  Lakes  form  a  series 
■^  of  great  steps,  the  highest  step  being  Lake  Su- 
perior, 602  feet  above  sea  level.  Between  the  Lake 
Superior  level  and  the  Huron- Michigan  level  is  a  fall 
of  twenty  feet,  the  greater  part  being  at  the  Falls 
of  St.  Mary's  River.  Lake  Erie  lies  about  eight 
feet  below  the  level  of  Lake  Huron;  but  this  slight 
fall  is  distributed  fairly  uniformly  over  about  ninety 
miles  and  hence  there  is-  little  or  no  hindrance  offered 
by  strong  currents  to  navigation  in  the  strait  between 
Lakes  Huron  and  Erie.  From  Lake  Erie  to  Lake 
Ontario  there  is  a  fall  of  325  feet  within  a  distance  of 
about  twenty-five  miles.  More  than  160  feet  of  this 
fall  occurs  at  Niagara  Falls.  Here  is  offered  the 
greatest  obstacle  to  navigation  in  the  whole  St.  Law- 
rence River  Basin.  Lake  Ontario  lies  246  feet  above 
tide  water  in  the  estuary  of  St.  Lawrence,  about  three 
hundred  miles  distant.  In  this  distance  are  many 
rapids,  the  current  is  swift  throughout,  the  channel 
shallow  and  beset  with  many  sunken  ledges  of  rock. 
The  many  rapids  in  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  the  falls 
at  Niagara,  and  the  falls  in  the  St.  Mary's  River  are 
formidable    barriers    and    tend    to    restrict    the    deep 


•_>:i2  HISTORICAL   C.ROGRArilV   OF    DETROIT 

water  commercial  activities  of  Detroit  to  Lakes  Michi- 
gan, Huron,  St.  Clair,  and  Erie,  and  the  waterways 
between  Lake  Huron  and  Lake  Erie.  Moreover,  the 
many  Lake  harbors  in  their  natural  conditions  were 
ill-adapted  to  the  requirem.ent  of  modern  Lake  trans- 
portation, so  that  improvements  were  necessary  before 
there  could  be  freedom  of  communication  between  the 
various  Lake  cities.  Most  of  the  Lake  cities  are 
located  at  the  mouths  of  streams  which  carry  great 
quantities  of  silt.  Deposition  of  this  silt  takes  place 
where  the  streams  enter  the  Lake.  In  tim.e,  through 
continued  deposition  and  the  action  of  waves  on  the 
deposits,  bars  are  formed.  Even  the  small  steamers 
in  the  early  steamboat  era  found  difficulty  in  enter- 
ing most  of  these  harbors.  Darby,  who  made  a  tour 
of  the  Lakes  in  1819,  comments  on  the  Walk-in-the- 
Water  and  the  harbors  as  follows:^  "I  did  not  see  her 
(Walk-in-the- Water) ,  but  learned  at  the  town  of  Erie 
that  she  had  gone  up  and  had  performed  well,  though 
drawing  too  much  water  to  suit  entirely  the  naviga- 
tion of  Lake  Erie,  she  stranded  in  seven  feet  of  water 
on  the  Erie  bar.  A  more  fatal  fault  in  construction 
of  any  vessel  to  be  used  on  Lake  Erie  could  not  be 
easily  committed  than  that  of  too  great  draught  of 
water.  The  harbors  are  few,  narrow,  and  difficult  to 
enter,  and  the  immediate  shores  dangerous  in  the 
extreme.  With  the  exception  of  Niagara  River  below 
Bird  Island,  Put-in-Bay,  and  Detroit  River  there 
exists  no  harbor  in  Lake  Erie  that  can  be  safely  entered 
in  a  swelling  sea  in  a  vessel  drawing  seven  feet  of 
water.     To  the  number  of  vessels  which  are  actively 

1.     Darby,  Tour  from  A'eu>  York  to  Detroit  (1819),  207. 


CANALS  AND  WATERWAYS  233 

employed  I  am  convinced  that  there  are  as  many 
wrecked  on  Lake  Erie  as  on  the  coast  of  the  United 
States." 

To  overcome  these  m.any  obstructions  to  navigation 
in  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  both 
the  Canadian  and  United  States  Governm.ents  have 
spent  large  snm.s  of  m.oney  in  im.provem.ents.  Up  to 
and  including  the  appropriations  for  1907  (these  are 
the  latest  data  available),  the  United  States  has  spent 
nearly  $98,000,000  in  the  Great  Lakes  region  and  St. 
Lawrence  River,  distributed  as  follows:- 

Lake  Superior  (including  ''Soo"  Canals) .  .  .   $29,000,000 

Lake  Huron  and  Lake  St.  Clair 11,000,000 

Lake  Michigan 24,000,000 

Lake  Erie 26,000,000 

Lake  Ontario 4,600,000 

St.  Lawrence  River 700,000 

Appropriations  for  some  of  the  rivers  are  not  in- 
cluded. 

The  Canadian  Governm.ent  up  to  1912  has  spent 
over  $128,000,000  in  all  to  improve  the  St.  Lawrence 
River  and  the  Canadian  side  of  the  Lakes.  ^ 

The  many  improvements  in  the  Lakes  region  and 
along  the  St.  Lawrence,  together  with  the  Erie  Canal 
and  the  m.any  canals  leading  from  the  Great  Lakes  to 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  have  greatly  extended 
the  area  com.m.ercially  in  touch  by  water  with  Detroit. 
Most  im.portant  of  the  improved  waterways  on  the 

2.  Transp.  by  Water,  Census  Rept.  (1906),  152. 

3.  Canadian    Govt.    Pub.    (1912),    Navigation,    Railways,    and 

Steamboat  Lines,  59. 


23-4  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

growth  of  Detroit  in  population  and  manufactures  are 
the  St.  Lawrence,  the  Erie  Canal,  and  the  Great 
Lakes. 

DETROIT  AND  THE  ST.  LAWRENCE  ROUTE 

Many  of  the  early  French  navigators  experienced 
difficulties  of  navigation  in  the  Lower  St.  Lawrence, 
and  have  left  detailed  accounts  of  the  obstacles  en- 
countered. Talon  in  his  voyage  in  1665  made  a  series 
of  observations  and  sent  them  back  to  France,  a  copy 
of  which  was  given  to  each  vessel  leaving  Rochelle 
and  the  ports  of  Normandy  for  the  St.  Lawrence.  He 
writes,^  "As  I  am  aware  of  the  great  dangers  in  navigat- 
ing the  St.  Lawrence  I  reflected  considerably  in  order 
to  ascertain  the  measures  to  be  adopted  to  improve  it, 
so  as  to  diminish  the  difficulties  the  captains  of  ships 
experience  in  steering  securely  through  it.  .  .  " 
The  thick  fog  and  stormy  weather,  the  many  shoals 
and  sunken  rocks,  the  strong  currents,  and  lack  of  an- 
chorage, all  make  the  navigation  of  the  estuary  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  River  very  difficult.  In  the  earlier  days 
of  navigation  a  voyage  to  Canada  was  considered 
"much  more  dangerous  than  to  any  other  part  of 
America."  An  entrance  to  the  estuary  was  never 
attempted  except  during  the  summer  months,  and 
even  with  fair  wind  and  weather  the  vessels  almost 
never  sailed  at  night. ^ 

From  Quebec  to  Montreal  the  navigator,  before  im- 
provements were  made,  found  even  greater  difficulties. 
The  high  tide  at  Quebec  occasions  so  strong  a  current 

T    N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  35. 
5.     Ibid.,  V,  728  (Golden). 


CANALS  AND  WATERWAYS  235 

that  "a  boat  of  six  oars,"  vSays  Golden,  "cannot  make 
way  against  it."  Above  Three  Rivers  the  current  is 
so  strong  that  it  requires  a  strong  and  fair  wind  to 
carry  the  sailing  vessels  against  the  stream.  Being  in 
the  belt  of  the  westerly  winds,  the  prevailing  winds 
were  adverse  to  the  up-passage  of  sailing  vessels. 
From  Montreal  to  Lake  Ontario,  the  early  navigators 
had  hard  work  to  stem  the  current.*^ 

During  the  French  period  nothing  was  done  to 
im.prove  the  navigation  of  the  lower  St.  Lawrence.  In 
1763  the  British  took  over  the  control  of  Canada,  but 
they  likewise  neglected  the  waterways  for  m.any  years. 
Not  until  after  Haldem.and  assum.ed  control  of  the 
Province  of  Canada  in  1778,  was  the  improvement  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  undertaken.  Soon  after  this  date  a 
canal  was  dug  between  St.  Louis  and  St.  Francis 
lakes.  This  was  the  forerunner  of  the  canals  of  Canada. 
The  im.provem.ent  of  the  channel  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
began  as  early  as  1779.  To  facilitate  the  passage  of 
canoes  and  batteaux,  obstructions  such  as  trees,  stones, 
and  logs  were  rem.oved  to  provide  for  a  deep  channel 
along  the  shores.  Projecting  points  of  land  were 
crossed  by  sm.all  canals." 

A  canal  at  Coteau  du  Lac  across  a  point  that  projects 
into  Coteau  Rapids  was  completed  for  traffic  in  1781. 
The  original  canal  had  three  locks  and  was  six  feet 
wide  at  the  gates.  In  1801  it  was  widened  to  nine 
and  one-half  feet  at  the  gates;  and  in  1817  a  second 
canal  was  built  at  this  point,  four  hundred  feet  long 
and  four  feet  deep.^ 

6.  Ibid. 

7.  Kingsford,  Hist,  of  Canada,  VII,  21. 

8.  Ibid.,  22. 


236  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

About  1782  two  other  canals  were  constructed  on 
the  St.  Lawrence,  one  six  hundred  feet  long  at  Cascade 
Point  to  avoid  Mill  Rapids,  and  the  other  at  Split 
Rock  around  Point  au  Buisson.  These  two  shorter 
canals  were  replaced  in  1806  by  a  canal  1600  feet 
long,  twenty  feet  wide  at  the  gates,  and  nine  and  one- 
half  feet  deep,  to  connect  the  St.  Lawrence  with  the 
Ottawa  River.  These  canals  mark  the  real  beginning 
of  the  improvem.ent  on  the  St.  Lawrence.  Since  1806 
they  have  been  increased  in  size,  number,  and  capac- 
ity.^ Between  1814  and  '17  the  three  canals,  Cascade, 
Split  Rock,  and  Coteau  du  Lac,  were  enlarged.  They 
continued  to  be  the  only  channels  by  which  access  to 
the  western  lakes  and  Detroit  by  way  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence was  obtained  until  October,  1845,  when  the 
Beauharnois  Canal  was  opened. ^*^ 

The  La  Chine  Canal  near  Montreal  was  begun  in 
1821  and  completed  in  1825.  The  locks  were  made 
one  hundred  feet  long,  twenty  feet  wide  and  five  feet 
on  the  sills. '^  Up  to  1842  there  had  been  no  such  a 
thing  as  a  canal  system  in  Canada.  In  that  year  a 
unified  system,  was  adopted  along  the  St.  Lawrence. 
The  locks  were  to  be  forty-five  feet  wide  and  have 
nine  feet  of  water  on  the  sill.  At  a  later  date  the 
locks  were  made  forty-five  feet  wide  and  with  fourteen 
feet  of  water  on  the  sills. '' 

The  great  difference  in  level  between  Lake  Erie  and 
Lake  Ontario  always  has  been,  even  after  the  building 
of  the  Welland   Canal,   a   serious  obstacle  to  traffic 

9.  Ibid.,  23. 

10.  //)/c/.,  22. 

U.  //)/(/.,  21.  25. 

12.  Ibid.,  24. 


CANALS   AND  WATERWAYS  237 

between  Detroit  and  Montreal  or  Quebec.  During 
the  French  period,  after  about  1702,  the  Niagara 
Portage  was  used  by  most  of  the  traders  and  travelers 
passing  between  the  Upper  Lakes  and  Montreal. 
About  1718  many  families  of  Seneca  Indians  lived 
along  the  portage,  where  they  cultivated  the  soil  and 
acted  as  porters  for  the  French  traders,  taking  their 
pay  in  furs  and  Indian  goods.  The  road  along  which 
the  goods  were  carted  was  in  the  upland  to  the  east 
of  the  gorge  and  falls.  It  led  from  Lewiston  up  over 
the  two-hundred-foot  cliff  of  the  escarpment  and  thence 
southward  to  a  point  about  two  miles  above  the  falls 
to  a  landing  called  Duncan's  House.  The  total  dis- 
tance along  which  goods  had  to  be  carted  or  carried 
was  about  eight  miles. ^^ 

To  the  costly  furs  this  break  in  transportation  had 
no  great  deterrent  effect.  It  precluded,  however,  al- 
most any  bulky  commodity  from  getting  an  outlet 
from  the  Upper  Lakes  to  the  markets  to  the  east. 

In  1817  Samuel  Williams,  in  discussing  the  export 
trade  of  the  Lake  Country,  writes, ^^  "From  the  lakes 
the  export  trade,  except  in  furs  is  inconsiderable  be- 
cause there  is  yet  no  channel  through  which  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  country  can  be  conveyed  to  m.arket. 
The  Cataract  of  Niagara  presents  an  insuperable 
obstacle^to  navigation  between  the  Upper  Lakes  and 
Lake  Ontario." 

To  WilHam  Hamilton  Merrit,  a  resident  of  St. 
Catherines,  Ontario,  is  due  the  "bold  and  workman- 
ship idea  of  m.aking  a  ship  canal  from  Lake  Erie  to 

13.  iV.  y.  Col.  Docs.,  IX,  885;  Doc.  Hist.  N.  Y .,  II,  458. 

14.  Niks'  Weekly  Reg.,  XI,  321. 


238  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

Lake  Ontario. "^^  As  early  as  1816  a  joint  conomission 
of  both  houses  of  Upper  Canada  (now  Ontario)  re- 
ported on  the  project  of  a  canal  at  the  Falls,  and  a 
bill  was  introduced  to  authorize  a  survey.  But  no 
immediate  action  followed.  In  1823  another  commis- 
sion reported  favorably  on  the  plan,  and  two  years 
later  a  company  was  incorporated  by  the  legislature 
for  the  construction  of  a  canal.  Work  was  soon  begun. 
By  1829  the  project  was  so  far  completed  that  two 
schooners,  each  of  eighty-five  tons  burden,  passed 
between  Lakes  Erie  and  Ontario. 

For  many  years  before  improvements  were  made 
there  were  only  10.25  feet  of  water  over  the  sills  of 
the  locks  and  24  out  of  the  27  locks  were  150  feet  in 
length.  In  the  enlarged  canal  the  dimensions  of  the 
locks  are  270  feet  by  45,  with  14  feet  of  water  over  the 
sills.  The  present  canal  is  26.75  miles  long,  has  26 
locks,  and  the  total  lockage  is  326.75.^*^  The  great 
length,  the  large  number  of  locks,  the  great  lockage  to 
overcome,  the  small  size  of  the  locks,  and  the  shallow 
water  in  the  locks  have  been  serious  defects,  making 
it  impossible  to  use  the  canal  as  an  important  part  of 
the  Great  Lakes  transportation  routes.  Even  the 
present  dimensions  of  the  locks  restrict  the  size  of 
vessels  that  may  pass  from  the  Lakes  to  the  ocean 
and  have  given  rise  to  a  particular  size  of  vessel, 
called  the  "Canalers,"  intended  for  traffic  on  the  L^pper 
Lakes,  Lake  Erie,  and  Lake  Ontario.  Harbor  im- 
provements on  Lake  Ontario  also  have  been  planned 
with  these  limitations  in  mind,  the  harbor  improve- 

15.  Hall,  Travels  in  Canada  and  U.  S.  (1827),  I,  215. 

16.  Canadian   Govt.    Pub.    (1912),    Navigation,   Railways,   and 

Steamboat  Lines,  39. 


CANALS   AND  WATERWAYS 


239 


ments    being    designed    to    give    facilities    for   vessels 
drawing  fourteen  feet  of  water. ^'^ 

The  specifications  for  the  various  St.  Lawrence 
canals  in  1912  between  Lake  Erie  and  deep  water  at 
Montreal  are  as  follows  :^^ 


Canal. 


La  Chine 

Soulanges 

Cornwall 

Farrand  Pt . . .  . 
Rapide  Plat . .  . 

Galops  Pt 

Welland   (New) 


Dimensions. 

Length, 

Width, 

miles. 

feet. 

8.5 

150 

14 

164 

11 

164 

1 

154 

3.7 

152 

7.3 

144 

27 

156 

Locks. 


No. 


5 
5 
6 
1 
2 
3 
26 


Lift 

Width, 

feet 

feet. 

45 

45 

84 

45 

48 

45 

3 

5 

45 

11 

5 

45 

15 

5 

45 

326 

8 

45 

Depth 
on  sill. 


14-18 

15 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 


The  commerce  of  Detroit  far  into  the  nineteenth 
century  was  largely  along  the  St.  Lawrence  River 
route.  There  was  little  communication  between  the 
cities  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  and  the  Upper  Lakes 
previous  to  1820  or  1825.  However,  in  the  m.atter  of 
rum  for  the  Indian  trade,  most  of  which  was  obtained 
from  the  West  Indies,  the  Mohawk  Route  had  the 
principal  part  of  the  Detroit  trade,  because  New  York, 
Boston,  and  other  ports  engaged  in  this  trade  were 
open  at  all  seasons  and,  moreover,  were  nearer  both 
the  West  Indies  and  Detroit  markets  than  were  Mont- 
real and  Quebec.^'*     For  125  years  the  merchants  of 

17.  Trans  p.  by  Water,  II,  Cens.  Rept.,  242. 

18.  Atlas  of  Canada,  Plate  22;  Blue  Book  Amer.  Shipping  (1910), 

463;  Canadian  Govt.  Pub.  (1912),  Navigation,  Railways, 
and  Steamboat  Lines,  29-39. 

19.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIV,  406;  Mem.  of  Montreal  Merchants 

(1792);  See  Darby,  A  Tour  from  N.  Y.  to  Detroit  (1819), 
188. 


240  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAFHY   OF    DETROIT 

Montreal  supplied  the  post  at  Detroit  with  most  of 
the  goods  for  the  Indian  trade  and  took  in  return  the 
furs  and  peltries  of  the  forests.  In  1788  the  am.ount 
of  goods  recorded  arriving  at  Detroit  for  the  Indian 
trade  was  valued  at  sixty  thousand  pounds  (sterling) 
and  twenty  thousand  pounds  worth  were  consumed  in 
the  settlement.  The  large  Detroit  merchants  had 
agents  in  Montreal  to  whom  they  sent  their  furs  and 
peltries.  The  agents  shipped  these  to  London  and 
sold  them  on  "the  account"  of  the  Detroit  merchants. 
Goods  from  Europe  were  ordered  through  the  agent 
on  "the  account"  and  risk  of  the  merchant  at  Detroit. -° 
Before  these  many  improvements  along  the  St.. Law- 
rence were  made,  commodities  for  Detroit  had  to  be 
carried  in  batteaux  from  Montreal  to  Kingston. ^^ 
This  passage  was  long  and  tedious,  although  the  naviga- 
tion of  this  part  of  the  river  was  much  aided  by  canals 
that  had  been  built  across  the  points  and  around  the 
rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  Hall  describes  the  slow- 
ness of  travel  along  this  part  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
about  1827.  "  'Tis  a  sad  waste  of  life,"  he  says,"  "to 
ascend  the  St.  Lawrence  in  a  batteau.  After  admiring 
the  exertion  with  which  the  Canadian  boatm.cn,  who 
seem  to  have  exclusive  possession  of  this  employment, 
force  the  long  flatbottomed  boats  against  the  rapids, 
there  is  nothing  left  but  to  gaze  listlessly  on  the  de- 
scending current  and  its  low  wooded  shores.  ...  It 
cost  us  fifteen  hours  to  row  from  Coteau  du  Lac  to 
Cornwall."  At  Kingston  the  goods  were  transferred 
to  sailing  vessels,  which  in  the  course  of  from  four  to 

20.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XI,  631. 

21.  Ibid.,  Ill,  125. 

22.  Hall,  Travels  in  Canada  and  U.  S.  (1827),  96. 


CANALS  AND  WATERWAYS  241 

ten  days,  made  the  voyage  from  Kingston  to  Lewiston 
or  Queenstown.  After  a  land  carriage  of  eight  miles 
the  batteaux  again  were  made  use  of  and  being  poled, 
towed,  or  sailed,  reached  deep  water  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  Niagara  River.  Here  vessels  were  again 
employed,  which,  after  another  journey  of  four  to 
ten  days,  or  even  more,  finally  reached  Detroit.  Lian- 
court  reported  that  because  of  this  costly  means  of 
transportation,  such  goods  as  woolen  blankets,  coarse 
cloth,  worsteds,  and  others  sold  at  Detroit  for  three 
times  the  price  charged  at  Montreal.-^  Although  tedi- 
ous and  costly,  this  route  between  the  ocean  and  the 
Lakes  region  was  considered  by  many  writers  even  as 
late  as  1852  to  be  the  most  feasible.  Just  previous  to 
the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal,  ex-President  Dwight 
of  Yale  University,  in  discussing  the  outlet  for  the 
products  of  Western  New  York  and  the  Lakes  region, 
said  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River, -"^  "This  has  ever  ap- 
peared to  me  the  cheapest,  safest,  and  most  unem- 
barrassed passage  for  the  produce  of  all  the  country 
that  borders  the  Great  American  Lakes.  The  ordinary 
price  for  transporting  a  quarter  cask  from  Montreal 
to  Queenstown  is  but  a  single  dollar.  Whenever  a 
regular  trade  is  established  between  this  country  and 
Montreal,  and  a  regular  transportation  around  the 
Niagara  Falls,  the  cost  will  be  reduced.  Thence  mer- 
chandise of  all  kinds  may  be  conveyed  in  ships  of  con- 
venient size  to  the  south  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  and 
with  the  exception  of  a  short  land  carriage  to  the 
western  end  of  Lake  Superior,   a  tract  consisting  of 

23.  Liancourt,  Travels  in  N.  A.,  I,  330. 

24.  Dwight,  Travels  in  New  Eng.  and  Meiv  York,  IV,  124. 

31 


242  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

from  400,000  to  500,000  square  miles  will  hereafter 
empty  its  produce  upon  the  ocean  through  the  St. 
Lawrence  River." 

Andrews  in  his  report  on  the  commerce  of  British 
colonies  with  the  United  States  in  1852  shows  the 
importance  of  the  St.  Lawrence  at  that  date  as  an 
artery  of  commerce.  "The  River  St.  Lawrence  and 
the  lakes,"  he  writes,-^  "must  be  the  principal  channel 
for  the  commerce  of  the  country  on  both  sides  of  these 
waterways,  the  American  side  as  well  as  the  Canadian, 
both  for  the  export  and  the  import  trade.  As  long, 
therefore,  as  the  British  hold  their  present  possessions 
they  must  exclusively  enjoy  that  trade.  .  .  .  The 
St.  Lawrence  being  the  shortest  and  deepest  channel 
with  which  these  countries  can  be  supplied  with  foreign 
commodities,  the  Canadians  will  therefore  have  the 
supplying  of  the  Americans,  who  inhabit  the  country 
on  their  frontiers,  with  British  and  other  foreign  manu- 
factures secured  to  them.  This  frontier  will  prove  a 
door  always  open  to  the  introduction  of  British  manu- 
factures, in  spite  of  the  most  rigid  enactments  of  the 
American  government  to  the  contrary."  In  another 
section  in  his  report  he  wTites,-'"'  "Notwithstanding  the 
opinion  that  may  be  entertained  adverse  to  that 
mighty  river  as  a  channel  of  communication  between 
the  West  and  the  Atlantic,  it  is  nevertheless  certain 
to  be  more  used  and  to  increase  in  importance  in 
proportion  to  every  material  stride  in  the  prosperity 
and  advancement  of  the  country  bordering  on  the 
lakes." 

25.  Anderson,  Trade  and  Commerce  of  British  Colonies  icitJi  the 

U.  S.,  Exec.  Doc.  112,  32nd  Congress,  23. 

26.  Ibid.,  5. 


CANALS  AND  WATERWAYS  243 

This  prediction  was  made  before  the  great  trunk 
Hnes  of  railroads  Hnked  the  Lakes  with  the  Atlantic 
seaboard  and  shortly  after  the  many  improvements 
along  the  St.  Lawrence  had  been  completed,  and  the 
Great  Lakes  region  given  a  deep  waterway  to  the 
ocean  for  vessels  of  that  period.  Many  vessels  on  the 
Lakes  took  advantage  of  the  St.  Lawrence  Route  to 
the  ocean.  It  was  thought  at  that  time  that  such  an 
intercourse  between  the  Lakes  and  ocean  meant  a 
new  era  for  Lake  commerce.  Detroit  was  pointed  out 
as  being  admirably  situated  for  foreign  trade,  its 
importance  being  greatly  enhanced  by  its  imminent 
and  extensive  relations  with  the  regions  to  the  north 
and  west." 

With  the  increase  in  importance  of  the  railroads 
between  the  Lakes  and  the  American  seaboard  and 
the  increase  in  the  size  of  vessels  navigating  the  Lakes, 
the  canals  of  the  St.  Lawrence  came  to  be  used  less 
and  less  and  the  St.  Lawrence  failed  to  become  the 
favorite  route  expected. 

DETROIT   AND   THE   MOHAWK   ROUTE 

With  the  increase  of  American  settlers  at  Detroit 
after  1796,  the  commercial  relations  of  the  city  began 
to  be  deflected  toward  New  England  arid  New  York. 
As  long,  however,  as  the  chief  business  of  the  city 
continued  to  be  the  trade  in  furs,  and  as  long  as  the 
majority  of  the  mercantile  establishments  remained  in 
the  hands  of  the  English  and  the  Scotch,  the  major 
part  of  the  trade  of  Detroit  flowed  along  the  St.  Law- 

27.     Hunt's  Merchant's  Mag.,  LI,  405;  ///.  Hist.  Colls.,  IV,  244. 


244  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

rence  route.  The  many  improvements  made  along  the 
St.  Lawrence  tended  to  keep  the  traffic  along  this 
important  line  of  communication.  From  time  to  time, 
however,  as  the  American  frontier  moved  westward, 
improvements  were  made  in  American  territory  that 
tended  to  deflect  some  of  the  traffic  eastward  across 
the  State  of  New  York.  Not  until  the  Erie  Canal, 
and  more  especially  the  railroads,  became  important 
factors  in  transportation,  did  Detroit  and  the  other 
portions  of  the  Lakes  region  sever  almost  entirely  their 
commercial  relations  with  the  lower  St.  Lawrence. 

In  1794  the  Legislature  of  New  York  appropriated 
money  for  the  construction  of  a  road  six  rods  wide 
from  old  Fort  Schuyler  (Utica)  westward  to  the  Genes- 
see  River.  Until  after  1797,  how^ever,  the  road  was 
little  better  than  an  Indian  path.  At  that  date  a 
lottery  was  authorized  by  the  State  to  obtain  money 
for  its  improvement.  In  1799  a  stage  began  to  run 
over  the  road.  In  1800  the  road  was  made  into  a 
turnpike,  and  the  same  year  was  extended  to  Buffalo.-^ 
This  road  and  a  turnpike  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
State  near  the  boundary  line  of  Pennsylvania  were, 
until  the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal,  the  only  outlets 
for  the  traffic  of  Detroit  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard 
across  the  State  of  New  York.-^ 

•j^  In  1817  a  regular  line  of  wagons  and  packets  was 
established  between  Detroit  and  New  York.  The  cost 
of  carriage,  as  advertised,  was  in  no  case  to  exceed 
$4.50  per  one  hundred  pounds.^"     Packets  carried  the 

28.  Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  VII,  41  (Buttcrick). 

29.  Doc.  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  II,  691;  Thwaites,  Earlv  Western  Travels, 

VIII,  118  (Evans). 

30.  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  XIV.  14.  Feb.  2i<,  1818. 


CANALS   AND  WATERWAYS  245 

goods  and  passengers  between  Albany  and  New  York. 
Between  Albany  and  Buffalo,  covered  wagons  "with 
tires  as  broad  as  a  Quaker's  hat"  and  drawn  by  ten 
to  a  dozen  horses  were  used.  These  wagons  frequently 
traveled  in  caravans  of  a  hundred  or  more.  From  four 
to  six  weeks  were  consumed  in  the  journey  from  New 
York  to  Buffalo.  Packets  were  used  on  Lake  Erie 
between  Buffalo  and  Detroit. ^^  K 

Som.e  of  the  cities  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  recog- 
nized the  importance  of  deflecting  products  of  the 
Lakes  region  to  their  m.arkets.  Boston,  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore  all  were  interested  in  the 
trade  with  the  West.  The  Erie  Canal  is  a  memorial 
of  the  endeavor  of  the  State  of  New  York  to  direct 
the  Lake  trade  to  its  port  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard. 

Work  was  begun  on  the  Erie  Canal  in  1817.  In  1825 
the  canal  was  opened  for  trafhc.  Long  before  its  com- 
pletion the  immense  influence  it  would  exert  on  the 
commercial  and  economic  affairs  of  the  Lakes  region 
was  recognized  by  all.  Flint,  writing  in  1818,  com- 
mented on  the  importance  of  the  canal  as  follows  :^- 
"The  New  York  canal  is  a  work  not  only  interesting 
to  a  large  portion  of  the  United  States  .  .  .  but 
also  to  Upper  Canada.  .  .  .  Should  the  govern- 
m.ent  of  Britain  continue  to  neglect  the  inland  naviga- 
tion of  Canada  and  persist  in  excluding  the  colonies 
from  the  advantages  of  free  trade  .  .  .  new  inter- 
ests must  arise  in  the  Upper  Province  of  Canada. 
England  may  still  give  Canada  lands  gratis,  .  .  . 
but  she  cannot  shut  the  eyes  of  her  subjects  to  the 

31.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXII,  369. 

32.  Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  IX,  315  (Flint). 


240  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

facilities  to  be  derived  from  an  uninterrupted  route  to 
the  port  of  New  York,  which  is  free  to  all  flags  of  all 
nations  and  open  to  the  sea  at  all  times  of  the  year." 
Darby  comments  as  follows:^'  "If  such  a  channel  of 
commerce  was  open  the  consequences  would  be,  not 
only  to  secure  to  the  U.  S.  the  benefits  of  the  produce 
of  its  own  industry,  but  also  to  secure  the  moral  attach- 
ment of  the  inhabitants  of  some  of  its  remote,  and  as 
matters  now  stand  most  detached  parts  above  the 
falls  of  Niagara." 

These  predictions  proved  not  amiss.  The  whole 
Lakes  region  felt  the  stimulus  of  this  shorter  outlet  to 
the  sea.  Immigration  was  greatly  accelerated.  The 
farmers  now  for  the  first  time  had  communication 
with  the  East,  such  that  farm  products  could  be 
transported  profitably  for  five  hundred  or  more  miles. 
Products  from  Western  Pennsylvania,  Northern  Ohio, 
and  Eastern  Michigan  began  to  find  their  way  to  the 
markets  of  New  York.  Distance  was  declared  to  be 
"conquered  by  science"  and  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  Lakes  was  "no  longer  a  thing  to  be  regarded." 
"Detroit,"  said  a  writer  in  Niles'  Weekly  Register,^* 
"is  virtually  nearer  the  city  of  New  York  than  Cimi.- 
berland,  Maryland,  is  to  Baltimore."  The  facilities 
for  transportation  offered  by  the  Erie  Canal  aided 
greatly  the  development  of  manufactures  in  the  Lakes 
region.  1lic  real  development  of  the  manufacturing 
industries  at  Detroit  dates  from  about  the  time  of 
opening  of  the  Erie  Canal. 

During  the  season  of  navigation  of  Lake  Erie  and 

33.  Darby,  A  Tour  from  New  York  to  Detroit  (1818),  189. 

34.  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  XXIX,  180. 


CANALS  AND  WATERWAYS  247 

the  Erie  Canal,  the  transportation  faciHties  were  m.uch 
increased,  but  for  the  winter  season,  Detroit  was 
almost  "as  far"  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard  as  in  the 
French  period.  Compared  with  our  modern  time  of 
dispatch,  the  transit  was  exceedingly  slow,  in  either 
summer  or  winter.  A  merchant  of  Detroit,  to  lay  in 
a  stock  of  goods  from.  New  York,  required  from  three 
to  six  months  from  the  time  he  set  out  from  Detroit 
to  the  arrival  of  the  goods.  It  was  customary  for 
many  of  the  merchants,  who  made  their  own  pur- 
chases, to  leave  Detroit  in  February  or  March,  cross 
Ontario  to  Buffalo  in  a  French  "carry-all,"  and  after 
a  journey  of  some  two  or  three  weeks  reach  New 
York  where  their  purchases  were  made.  As  soon  as 
the  ice  had  gone  from  the  Hudson  River  and  Erie 
Canal,  the  goods  were  dispatched  by  canal  boat  to 
Black  Rock,  which  point  they  reached  some  time 
in  June.  From  there  steamers  on  Lake  Erie  carried 
them,  to  Detroit.  This  was  the  way  Detroit  received 
its  m.erchandise  until' the  late  forties  when  a  railroad 
was  built  which  connected  Buffalo  with  the  Atlantic 
seaboard.  As  late  as  1845  or  '50  goods  were  bought 
from  New  York  m.erchants  at  twelve,  eighteen,  and 
even  twenty-four  month's  credit. '"^^ 


DETROIT  AND  THE  IMPROVEMENTS  OF  NAVIGATION  ON 
LAKE  ERIE  AND  THE  UPPER  LAKES 

In  the  earlier  periods  of  settlement  in  the  Lakes 
region,  when  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Michigan 
had  nearly  all  the  people  in  the  Old  Northwest,  most 
35.    Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXII,  369. 


248  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 

of  the  eastbound  traffic  of  the  Lakes  was  in  articles 
destined  for  the  m.arkets  in  the  East,  and  the  west- 
bound traffic  was  emigrants  and  their  household  effects 
and  provisions.  The  commerce  on  the  Lakes  north- 
bound from  Detroit  was  mainly  in  provisions  and 
supplies  for  the  forts  and  in  goods  for  the  Indian 
trade. ^'"'  The  spread  of  population  westward  and  the 
peopling  of  the  regions  about  the  shores  of  Lakes 
Michigan  and  Superior  made  the  improvement  of  the 
harbors  of  Lake  Erie  and  the  Upper  Lakes  and  of  the 
connecting  rivers  between  these  Lakes  imperative. 

Govemm.ent  aid  to  the  improvement  of  navigation 
on  the  Great  Lakes  dates  from  1825,  in  which  year 
money  was  appropriated  for  the  improvem.ent  of  the 
harbor  at  Erie.  By  1851  the  Government  had  spent 
about  $2,791,000  in  improvements  on  the  Great 
Lakes. ■'^'  For  several  decades  the  improvements  were 
not  made  with  regard  to  any  definite  plan.  The 
am.ount  of  appropriation  and  the  magnitude  of  the 
work  carried  out  depended  mostly  upon  the  political 
influence  of  the  congressman  in  whose  district  the 
port  or  river  was  located.  The  engineers  in  charge  of 
work  on  the  Great  Lakes  at  length  came  to  see  that  a 
unified  plan  was  necessary,  and  recommendations 
were  m.ade  to  the  Rivers  and  Harbors  Committee  in 
Congress.  Their  plan  found  its  expression  in  the 
Rivers  and  Harbors  Act  of  July,  1892,  in  which  ap- 
propriations were  m.ade  for  the  im.provem.ent  of  the 
connecting  waters  between  the  Lakes  from  Chicago 
and  Duluth  to  Buffalo,  l^y  excavating  channels  to  the 

36.  DeBow's  Rei\,  IV,  386. 

37.  Andrews,  Trade  and  Commerce  of  Br.  Colonies  with   C.  5., 

Exec.  Doc.  112,  32nd  Congress,  1st  Sess.,  53. 


CANALS   AND  WATERWAYS  249 

minimum  depth  of  twenty  feet  and  a  minimum  width 
of  three  hundred  feet.  Such  channels  were  beheved 
at  that  time  adequate  to  meet  all  demands  for  many 
years  to  come.  Each  succeeding  year,  however,  saw 
larger  and  larger  vessels  built  and  vessel  interests 
called  for  larger  and  deeper  channels.  To  meet  the 
demand.  Congress  by  the  Act  of  March,  1905,  author- 
ized a  preliminary  examination  and  survey  with  a 
view  to  enlarging  the  channels  to  the  depth  of  twenty- 
two  or  twenty-five  feet.  The  next  year  the  board  of 
engineers  made  a  report  in  which  they  suggested  that 
the  contemplated  improvements  must  be  deferred,  that 
the  advantages  would  not  warrant  the  cost  of  im- 
provement.^* 

In  pvirsuance  of  the  plan  of  1892  for  a  uniform  chan- 
nel, appropriations  have  been  made  from  time  to  tim.e 
and  the  work  has  gone  on,  until  now  vessels  loaded 
for  twenty  feet  of  water  may  enter  or  leave  any  of 
the  important  ports  on  the  Lakes  and  pass  through 
all  the  connecting  waters  in  safety. ^^ 

The  most  important  and  most  expensive  of  the 
many  improvements  is  the  excavation  of  the  canals 
about  the  Falls  of  the  St.  Mary's  River  (at  Sault  Ste. 
Marie).  On  these  canals  and  on  the  Hay  Lake  and 
Neebish  channels  in  the  St.  Mary's  River  the  Govern- 
ment has  spent,  up  to  and  including  the  appropria- 
tions for  1907,  more  than  $17,000,000.^°  Attempts 
were  made  at  an  early  date  to  overcome  the  difficulties 
at  the  Falls.     In  1797  the  Northwest  Fur  Company 

38.  Transp.  by  Water,  Cen.  Kept.  (1906),  153. 

39.  Ibid.,  154. 

40.  Ibid.,  154. 


250  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

constructed  a  canal  on  the  Canadian  side  of  the  river 
with  locks  38  feet  long,  9  feet  high,  and  about  9  feet 
wide.  A  tow  path  along  the  canal  was  m.ade  for 
oxen  to  pull  the  batteaux  and  canoes  used  in  the  fur 
tradc*^  Detroit  probably  profited  little  from  this 
canal,  for  the  Northwest  Fur  Com.pany  was  a  British 
company  with  headquarters  at  Montreal,  and  Detroit 
was  at  this  time  in  the  hands  of  ^the  Americans. 

The  growing  trade  of  Lake  Superior  about  the  middle 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  at  a  time  when  Detroit  was 
active  in  Lake  Superior  traffic  in  iron  ore  and  copper 
ore,  called  for  some  means  of  avoiding  the  rapids.  In 
1850  the  Chippewa  Portage  Company  built  a  tramway 
along  the  side  of  the  rapids  and  connected  the  upper 
and  lower  boat  landings.  During  the  first  year  the 
com.pany  transferred  three  thousand  tons  of  freight. 
This  could  be  considered  only  as  a  temporary  make- 
shift. Shortly  after,  agitation  became  so  active  that  a 
bill  was  introduced  into  Congress  December  10,  1851, 
by  Mr.  Felch,  asking  that  the  Government  grant  "to 
the  State  of  Michigan  the  right  of  way  and  donation 
of  public  lands  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  .  .  . 
a  ship  canal  around  the  Falls  of  St.  Mary's."-^-  The 
right  of  way  was  granted  through  the  military  reserva- 
tion and  750,000  acres  of  public  land  were  donated  to 
the  State.'^  Work  was  begun  in  1853  and  completed 
in  1855.  This  canal  provided  for  the  passage  of  ves- 
sels drawing  11.5  feet  of  water.  In  1881  the  Wietzel 
Lock   (canal)   was  opened  for  navigation  to  accom- 

41 .  Mich .  Hist.  Colls.,  XVI 1 1 ,  639. 

42.  Cong.  Globe,  XXIV.  Pt.  I,  33,  1532,  1717,  17.^1. 

43.  DeBow's  Review,  519. 


CANALS  AND  WATERWAYS  251 

modate  the  increasing  Lake  shipping,  and  in  1896  the 
Poe  Lock  was  placed  in  commission.  The  Poe  Lock 
permits  the  passage  of  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of 
water.  The  cham.bers  are  800  feet  long  and  100 
wide.     A  new  lock  is  now  under  construction.^^ 

In  the  early  decades  of  Am.erican  control  of  the 
Lakes  when  the  people  of  the  Lakes  region  were  to  be 
found  mainly  about  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie,  Detroit 
was  a  western  terminus  for  the  Lake  traffic.  At  this 
period  manufactures  were  little  developed,  the  business 
of  the  city  was  chiefly  commercial.  The  opening  of 
the  St.  Mary's  Canal,  the  exploitation  of  the  Lake 
Superior  iron  deposits,  the  growth  in  population  of 
the  Upper  Lakes  ports,  and  the  settlement  of  the  upper 
Mississippi  Valley  have  all  contributed  toward  a  new 
routing  of  traffic  on  the  Lakes,  a  great  change  in  kind 
of  commodities  handled,  and  a  tremendous  increase  in 
the  amount  of  traffic. 

The  Great  Lakes  today  are  great  and  important 
water  routes  for  inland  commerce.  Our  dom.estic  com- 
merce is  certain  to  remain  the  more  important  of  our 
commercial  transactions,  but  it  seems  quite  clear  that 
could  an  adequate  route  to  the  ocean  be  provided,  the 
Great  Lakes  traffic  would  be  benefited  greatly.  From 
time  to  time,  chiefly  between  1830  and  1850,  canals 
have  been  opened  between  the  Lakes  region  and  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers.  These  canals  have  done 
much  to  develop  some  of  the  Lake  cities,  but  no 
definite  influence  has  been  traceable  on  the  growth  of 
Detroit.     It  seems  very  probable  that  a  Lakes-to-the- 

44.     Transp.  by  Water,  Kept.  Com.  Corp.   (1909),  II,  205,   206; 
Transp.  by  Water,  Cen.  Rept.,  153. 


252  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

Gulf  Waterway  would  benefit  Detroit  but  little.  For 
over  fifty  years  the  city  has  enjoyed  the  advantages 
of  a  fourteen  foot  channel  to  the  ocean  by  way  of 
the  St.  Lawrence,  yet  seems  to  have  taken  little  advan- 
tage of  it. 


CHAPTER  XI 

The    Development   of    Land   Transportation    of 

Detroit 

Tj^ROM  the  founding  of  Detroit  in  1701  until  the 
-'-  coming  of  American  settlers  early  in  the  nineteenth 
century,  there  was  little  need  of  roads  in  southeastern 
Michigan,  for  most  or  all  of  the  people  lived  along  the 
larger  navigable  waters.  Indeed,  this  was  the  situa- 
tion until  after  1820.^  To  this  time  com.m.unication 
with  the  interior  was  chiefly  along  two  trails  used  by 
the  Indians  after  1796  in  going  to  Maiden  to  receive 
their  annual  presents  from  the  British.  One  led  up 
the  St.  Joseph  River  from  Lake  Michigan,  thence 
overland  to  the  Huron  River,  and  along  the  latter  to 
Lake  Erie.  This  was  the  St.  Joseph  trail.  The  other 
trail  skirted  the  southern  end  of  Saginaw  Bay  and 
extended  thence  to  the  Rouge  River,  and  along  this 
stream  to  the  Detroit  River.-  This  was  the  Saginaw 
trail.  What  the  people  of  Detroit  needed  was  ready 
comm.unication  with  the  frontier  in  Ohio, 

In  the  treaty  of  Brownstown,  made  November  25, 
1808,  the  Indians  granted  to  the  United  States  a  tract 
of  land  two  m.iles  wide,  extending  westward  and  north- 
ward from  the  Connecticut  Western  Reserve  to  the  foot 
of  the  Rapids  of  the  Miamis  of  the  Lakes,  with  the 

1.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  VI,  484  (Campbell). 

2.  American  St.  Papers,  Miscellaneous,  II,  597. 


254  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

understanding  that  a  road  should  be  built  along  it. 
In  1811  the  president  authorized  a  party  to  survey 
and  m.ark  this  road  and  six  thousand  dollars  were  set 
aside  to  cover  the  expense.  But  the  War  of  1812 
prevented  the  carrying  out  of  the  provisions  of  the 
treaty.  Another  cause  for  delay  undoubtedly  was  the 
great  expense  necessary  to  construct  the  road  across 
a  great  swamp,  the  Black  Swamp,  then  in  existence  in 
northern  Ohio.  National  aid  to  internal  improvements 
was  not  then  in  vogue  in  Congress.  The  Black  Swamp 
"consisted  of  a  slightly  elevated  basin  of  impervious 
clay  upon  which  rested  a  thick  stratum  of  fertile  black 
loam.  The  surface  was  so  level  water  could  not 
escape  except  by  evaporation. "'"  All  north  central  Ohio 
for  fifty  miles  to  the  south  of  Toledo  and  one  hundred 
miles  to  the  southwest  is  glacial  lake  bottom  (lakes 
Maumee,  Whittlesey  and  Warren).  The  slope  of  the 
surface  is,  on  the  average,  only  about  four  or  five  feet 
per  m.ile,  toward  Lake  Erie.  The  streams  draining  the 
region  are  few,  m.any  are  intermittent,  the  gradient 
of  all  is  low.  The  smaller  discharge  their  water  into 
the  Lake  through  sand  bars,  the  larger  are  drowned  for 
five  or  ten  miles  in  their  lower  courses.  The  area 
even  at  the  present  time  is  difficult  to  drain.  In  the 
early  days  before  portions  were  cleared  of  forests  and 
ditches  opened  up,  the  drainage  lines  were  choked  with 
aquatic  vegetation  and  driftwood.  The  impervious 
clay  cited  above  is  the  characteristic  fine-grained 
deposits  of  glacial  lakes.  This  morass  was  about  thirty 
miles  wide  and  interrupted  all  land  communication 
between   the   settlements   in    Michigan   and   those   of 

3.    Jbid.,  II,  573. 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION  255 

Ohio.''  Gov.  Cass  (of  Michigan  Territor}^)  said  in 
1817,^  'To  reach  the  Territory  of  Michigan  from  any 
(settled)  part  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  this  swamp  must 
be  crossed.  No  description  can  convey  to  a  person 
who  is  unacquainted  with  it,  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
difficulties  to  be  surmounted  before  a  tolerable  road 
can  be  found  through  this  country."  Since  Detroit 
was  surrounded,  on  the  American  side  of  the  river,  by 
flat  lands  (lake  bottom) ,  which  before  being  deforested 
and  drained  were  swampy  and  little  cultivated,  much 
of  the  food  consumed  in  the  settlement  had  to  come 
from  Ohio,  by  lake  during  the  season  of  navigation  or 
by  land  through  the  Black  Swamp.  It  was  during  the 
off-season  of  navigation  that  the  Black  Swamp  was 
the  most  difhctilt  to  cross.  It  is  reported  that  at 
tim.es  the  supply  of  food  was  very  low  and  prices 
soared  frightfully.'^ 

At  the  opening  of  the  War  of  1812,  Gen.  Hull  built  his 
f am.ous  military  road  across  the  ' 'Black  Swam.p . ' '  The 
road  was  poorly  located  and  not  constructed  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  even  the  slight  traffic  of  that  tim.e. 
One  writer  claims  that  the  want  of  a  suitable  road 
through  the  Black  Swamp  cost  the  United  States 
Government  ten  to  twelve  million  dollars  in  the  War 
of  1812.  During  the  war  flour  was  sold  at  Detroit 
for  fifty  dollars  a  barrel.^  Htill's  road  seems  not  to 
have  been  used  m.uch  after  the  passage  of  the  army, 
and  soon  it  was  overgrown  with  brush.     A  writer  said 

4.  See  Darby,  .4  Tour  from  New  York  to  Detroit  (1818),  188 

5.  Ibid.,  596. 

6.  Mich.  Hist.  Cplls.,  V,  540  (Rev.  W.  Fitch). 

7.  Ibid.,  VII,  53  (Bliss);  Am.  State  Papers,  Miscellaneous,  II 

593  (Gov.  Cass). 


25G  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

of  it  in  1820,^  "Not  a  solitary  traveller  finds  his  way 
along  that  avenue;  it  is  principally  indicated  by  the 
broken  remnants  of  buggies,  wagons,  and  gun  car- 
riages, scattered  remains  of  flour  barrels,  and  the 
mouldering  skeletons  of  horses  and  oxen,  remaining  as 
they  were  left  just  visible  above  the  surface  of  the 
mud  and  w^et  which  destroyed  them."  About  1816  the 
soldiers  stationed  at  Detroit  began  the  construction 
of  a  road  from  Detroit  to  the  Black  Swamp. ^  By 
January,  1818,  they  had  reached  within  ten  miles  of 
the  Black  Swamp.  The  following  summ.er  the  road 
reached  the  Maumee  River,  but  was  not  constructed 
farther.  10 

Many  men  who  had  seen  service  in  the  late  war 
urged  Congress  to  provide  for  a  continuation  of  the 
road  to  the  eastward.  Appeals  were  m.ade  both  by 
civil  and  military  officials  in  the  Northwest  who  urged 
that  such  a  road  was  necessary  to  bring  the  region 
into  contact  with  the  rest  of  the  Union,  to  facilitate 
the  settlem.ent  of  the  Territory,  to  increase  land  sales, 
and  to  give  the  people  already  there  an  outlet  for  their 
products.  Governor  Cass  showed  that  such  a  road 
could  be  m.ade  a  branch  of  the  Cumberland  National 
Road,  thus  bringing  Detroit  into  direct  com.munica- 
tion  with  the  Capitol. ^^  In  1823  Congress,  stirred  to 
action  by  the  m.any  appeals,  granted  land  for  the 
construction  of  a  road  from  the  Connecticut  Reserve 


8.  Amcr.  State  Papers,  Miseellancous,  II,  593. 

9.  Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  Mil.  209  (Evans);  Farmer, 

Hist.  Detroit  and  Mich.,  925. 

10.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXVIII,  559  (Inillcr);  Niles'   Weekly 

Re^.,  XIII.  312. 

11.  Anier.  State  Papers,  AUscellaneoiis,  II,  596. 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION 


257 


258  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

to  the  Maumee  River.  Thus  the  agreement  made  with 
the  Indians  fifteen  years  before  was  to  be  carried  out. 
This  was  the  first  regular  grant  made  by  the  federal 
government  with  a  view  to  promote  the  settlem.ent 
and  defence  of  Michigan.'-  Twenty  thousand  dollars 
also  were  appropriated  for  the  improvement  of  the 
road  built  by  the  soldiers  from  Detroit  to  the  Maumee.'^ 
In  1827  the  first  stage  coach  line  between  Detroit  and 
Ohio  was  established.'"*  Previous  to  this  date  the  mail 
to  and  from  Detroit  was  carried  on  horseback  through 
the  Black  Swamp. '^ 

About  1820  settlers  began  to  push  inland  from  the 
Detroit  River'^  and  with  the  great  immigration  follow- 
ing the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal,  roads  to  the  interior 
became  absolutely  essential.  After  1825  several  roads 
were  projected  to  lead  out  of  Detroit.  Congress  ap- 
propriated three  thousand  dollars  for  the  laying  out 
of  a  road  from  Detroit  to  Chicago.''  Two  years  later 
twenty  thousand  dollars  were  appropriated  for  the  con- 
struction of  this  road.  Two  more  roads  were  author- 
ized, one  from  Detroit  to  Saginaw,  the  other  from 
Detroit  to  Fort  Gratiot.'^  Fifteen  thousand  dollars 
were  appropriated  for  the  surveys  of  the  latter  two.'^ 

By   1832  the  settlement  of  Western  Michigan  had 

12.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  VII,  52. 

13.  Ibid.,  53;  Niks'  Reg.,  XXVI.  280;  Ibid..  XXIX.  128. 

14.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXVIII,  559  (Fuller). 

15.  McCabe,  Directory  of  Detroit  (1837),  14. 

16.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  U,  38;  Ibid.,  Ill,  565  (Drake). 

17.  Farmer,  Hist,  of  Detroit  and  Mich.,  925;  Mich.  Hist.  Colls., 

IV,   399;   Ibid.,   V,    151;   Ibid.,  VII,   54   (Bliss);   Ibid., 
XXXVIII,  594  (Chase). 

18.  Ibid.,  XXXVIII,  559. 

19.  Ibid.;  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  XXXII,  62;  Farmer,  Hist.  Detroit 

and  Mich.,  925. 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION  259 

progressed  so  far  that  $3500  were  appropriated  for  the 
survey  of  a  road  to  the  mouth  of  the  Grand  River.-" 
Work  on  these  roads  progressed  slowly.  By  1831  the 
Chicago  Road  had  been  graded  to  SaUne.  Beyond  this 
point  settlers  seeking  land  in  the  interior  of  the  state 
followed  a  wagon  track  or  an  Indian  trail. "^  By  1833 
the  Chicago  Road  was  completed.  From  Ypsilanti  the 
Territorial  Road  passed  through  Ann  Arbor,  Jackson 
and  Marshall  to  St.  Joseph."  By  1834  four  other 
important  roads  radiated  from  Detroit  .-■'^  About  this 
time  Michigan  became  interested  in  several  railroad 
projects  and  the  opening  of  other  through  wagon- 
roads  received  less  attention.  Although  these  early 
wagon-roads  were  constructed  very  poorly,  the  few 
and  small  settlements  along  the  routes  not  warranting 
the  expenditure  of  much  money,  they  made  known  the 
real  character  of  the  country.  Along  them  thousands 
of  settlers  passed  from  Detroit  to  the  interior  in  search 
of  fertile  land.  Back  along  them  the  farmer  kept  in 
touch  with  the  outside  world  and  sent  his  produce  to 
the  market  at  Detroit.  Many  descriptions  of  the 
difficulties  of  travel  on  these  early  dirt  roads  have 
been  handed  down.  "Everybody,  old  and  young,  who 
has  ever  studied  the  topography  of  Michigan,"  says 
one  writer,-^  "knows  that  for  miles  in  every  direction 
around  Detroit  lies  a  heavily  timbered,  level,  muddy 
plain,  where  the  soil  is  alluvial  on  the  surface  and  a 

20.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  IV,  399;  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  XXXII,  62; 

Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXVIII,  559  (Fuller). 

21.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  I,  48. 

22.  Latrobe,  The  Rambler  (1835),  183;  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  VI,  238 

(Fisher). 

23.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXVIII,  560  (Fuller). 

24.  Ibid.,  XXII,  348. 


^ 


260  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 

cold,  squcczy,  heavy  clay  beneath,  through  and  over 
which  even  now  transit  is  almost  impossible.  But  no 
one  but  the  early  pioneers  of  the  region  can  tell  the 
horrors  of  travel  over  the  same  region  forty  years  ago. 
Through  a  forest  where  elm,  beech,  w^alnut,  maple, 
fir,  and  basswood  sprang  to  the  very  skies,  shutting 
out  the  midday  sun,  a  black,  sticky  road  was  cut,  and 
when  the  rush  of  emigration  commenced  in  1830  all 
those  highways  were  cut  up  with  slough  holes,  dug- 
ways  .  .  .  through  which  it  seemed  impossible  to 
drag  a  stage  coach  or  a  heavy  laden  wagon.  ^Except 
the  road  through  the  Black  Swamp,  from  Toledo  to 
Lower  Sandusky,  there  were  no  more  fearful  and 
-.horrible  roads  to  be  found  than  these  leading  out  of 
Detroit  in  1833  to  1837."  Not  infrequently  three 
days  were  required  for  an  emigrant  wagon  to  reach 
Ypsilanti  from  Detroit,  a  distance  of  twenty-eight 
miles. -^  Farmers  carrying  produce  from  Ann  Arbor  to 
Detroit  by  way  of  Plymouth  Four  Corners  (now  Ply- 
mouth), almost  thirty-five  miles,  would  need  nearly  a 
week  to  make  the  journey  and  return.-®")^ 
^  Stage  lines  were  established  along  most  of  these 
roads  shortly  after  their  completion.^''  A  stage  line 
was  established  from  Detroit  to  Romeo  in  1830."'^^ 
Mitchell's  Tourist's  map  of  1835  shows  two  stages  out 
of  Detroit,  one  through  Ypsilanti,  Cold  water,  Niles, 
Michigan  City  to  Chicago,  over  which  stage  coaches 
made  three  trips  a  week ;  and  a  second  through  Monroe 

25.  Ibid. 

26.  Ibid. 

27.  See  mai). 

28.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXVIII,  559  (Fuller). 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION 


261 


and  Toledo  to  Lower  Sandusky.^ ^  In  1837  the  Western 
Stage  Company  of  Detroit  advertised  five  lines  of 
stages,  on  most  of  which  conveyances  left  Detroit 
daily.  One  route  extended  through  Monroe,  Toledo 
and  Perry sburg  to  Lower  Sandusky,  reqtiiring  two 
days  for  the  journey.     The  Western  route   led   from 


Roads  from  Detroit  in  1835 
{From  John  Farmer' s  Map  of  Michigan) 


Detroit  to  Chicago  by  way  of  Ypsilanti,  Clinton,  Jones- 
ville,  and  Niles.  Another  on  the  Territorial  Road 
passed  through  Ann  Arbor  to  St.  Joseph.  A  fourth 
led  to  Flint  River  (now  Flint)  through  Pontiac  and 
Grand  Blanc.  On  the  route  to  Ft.  Gratiot  stages  left 
Detroit   every  morning.^°y  By   degrees  the   railroads 

29.  Ihid.,  XXXVIII,  594  (Chase). 

30.  McCabe,  Directory  oj  Detroit  (1837),  advertisement. 


262  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

were  extended  in  Michigan,  in  many  cases  along  or 
near  the  stage  roads,  and  these  supplanted  the  stages. ^^ 
V  Until  the  coming  of  the  railroads  in  Southern  Michi- 
gan, the  roads  just  described  served  as  the  only  outlets 
for  the  surplus  agricultural  products  of  the  interior. 
Detroit,  the  nucleus  from  which  these  roads  radiated, 
became  the  focus  toward  which  the  surplus  products 
moved  in  search  of  a  market.  It  was  not  only  a 
market  but  also  a  supply  station  for  a  large  part  of 
the  region  touched  by  these  roads.  The  large  number 
of  stage  lines  connecting  it  w4th  the  interior  em- 
phasizes its  importance  as  a  "Gateway"  to  Southern 
Michigan.y 

In  1826  work  was  begun  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard 
on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  the  first  impor- 
tant line  to  be  built  in  the  United  States.  Four  years 
later,  in  Michigan — a  place  an  eastern  paper  described 
as  being  "so  far  we  seldom  hear  of  it," — the  Detroit 
and  St.  Joseph  Railroad  Company  was  incorporated. 
In  1834  the  route  for  this  railway  was  surveyed,  and 
by  1836  several  miles  of  track  had  been  built.  In 
March,  1834,  the  Detroit  and  Pontiac  Railroad  Com- 
pany was  granted  a  charter  "to  transport  property 
and  persons  by  the  power  and  force  of  steam,  of  ani- 
mals or  of  any  mechanical  or  other  power  or  of  any 
combination  of  them."^- 

With  the  people  of  the  western  country  internal 
improvement  was  a  mania,  but  a  mania  based  on  their 
economic  needs.     Tlicy  sought  markets.     Roads  must 

31.  See  map. 

32.  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  418;  Leonard,  Industries  of 

Detroit,  18;  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  IX,  273. 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION  263 

be  built,  canals  dug,  and  railroads  constructed  to  give 
them  an  outlet  for  their  products  and  a  return  route 
for  their  purchases.  Nor  was  this  all.  The  spirit  of 
their  environment  was  progressive.  They  had  a  broad 
outlook  on  life;  the  vastness  of  their  enterprises  and 
their  craze  for  speculation  well  illustrate  this. 

In  1837,  the  year  Michigan  was  admitted  as  a  State, 
a  vast  system  of  internal  improvements  was  proposed. 
Three  main  lines  of  railroads  were  projected:  one  from 
Port  Huron  to  Grand  Haven,  a  second  from  Detroit 
to  St.  Joseph,  and  the  third  from  Monroe  to  New 
Buffalo. ^^  These  were  known  as  the  Northern,  Cen- 
tral, and  Southern  routes.  They  were  to  connect  the 
navigable  waters  of  Eastern  Michigan  with  those  of 
the  western  side  of  the  State  and  Lake  Michigan.  At 
that  time  few  dreamed  of  the  possibilities  of  railroads. 
Waterways  were  considered  the  ideal  means  of  trans- 
portation. The  idea  that  steam  railways  would  be 
organized  and  combined  into  great  systems  did  not 
occur  to  the  average  citizen  until  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  Besides  these  railroads,  many 
canals  were  planned,  as  well  as  improvements  on  some 
of  the  principal  rivers.  A  loan  of  five  milHon  dollars 
was  arranged  for,  to  carry  on  these  enterprises.  Rail- 
roads which  had  been  started  by  private  companies 
were  taken  over  by  the  State. 

Following  the  panics  of  1837  and  1839  the  State 
began  to  feel  that  it  had  undertaken  enterprises  far 
beyond  its  means.  To  make  matters  worse,  the  Morris 
Canal  and  Banking  Company,  which  was  to  furnish 
the  five  million  dollars,  was  unable  to  meet  its 
33.     Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXII,  487. 


264  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 

promises.^"*  A  disastrous  bankruptcy  of  the  State 
seemed  exceedingly  imminent.  Resolutions  were  off- 
ered in  the  State  Senate  to  "enquire  into  the  expediency 
of  bringing  in  a  bill  to  repeal  the  act  to  provide  for 
further  construction  of  further  work  of  internal  im- 
provements." The  bill  passed,  with  but  two  Senators 
dissenting. ^^  The  work  on  canals  and  rivers  was 
abandoned  soon  after  and  the  work  on  the  railroads 
was  much  reduced.  According  to  a  report  of  the 
Board  of  Internal  Improvements  in  1839,  the  State 
was  giving  aid  to 

the  Southern  Railroad;  the  Saginaw  Canal; 

the  Central  Railroad;  the  improvement  of  Grand 

the  Northern  Railroad;  River; 

the  Kalamazoo-Clinton  the    improvement    of    the 

Canal;  Kalamazoo  River;  and  a 

the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  survey   of   the   St.    Joseph 

Canal;  Railroad. 

The  total  expense  for  the  year  1838  had  been 
$530,496.77.  Contracts  had  been  let  to  the  amount 
of  $1,200,000.3^ 

By  1840  the  Central  Railroad  had  been  completed 
by  the  State  as  far  as  Ann  Arbor.  It  had  an  im- 
mediate influence  on  the  development  of  the  region 
along  the  route.  "Already,"  says  one  writer,"  "many 
thriving  towns  and  settlements  have  been  established 
along  the  line  in  anticipation  of  the  ultimate  comple- 
tion."    The  Erie  and  Kalamazoo  had  been  completed 

34.  Ibid.,  XIII,  338. 

35.  Ibid.,  I,  47. 

36.  Kept,  of  Bd.  of  Internal  Improvements,  Mich.  (1839),  I,  12. 

37.  Farmer,  Hist,  oj  Detroit  and  Mich.,  215. 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION  265 

from  Toledo  to  Adrian,  a  distance  of  thirty-three 
miles.  On  the  Havre  Branch,  a  line  to  connect  the 
Southern  Railroad  with  the  Erie  and  Kalamazoo,  work 
was  progressing  rapidly.  The  Ypsilanti  and  Tecnm- 
seh  Railroad  was  completed  for  twenty-five  miles. 
The  Detroit  and  Pontiac  was  in  operation  as  far  as 
Royal  Oak,  thirteen  and  one-half  miles.  The  Allegan 
and  Marshall,  the  St.  Clair  and  Romeo,  the  Port 
Sheldon  Railway,  and  the  Shelby  and  Detroit  roads 
all  were  under  construction.^^ 

By  1842  the  Central  Railroad  had  reached  Jackson; 
the  next  year,  Kalamazoo.  About  this  time  an  eastern 
paper  cited  the  central  rotite  across  Michigan  as  an 
illustration  of  cheap  traveling  with  great  speed.  "Per- 
sons can  now  go,"  it  says,^^  "from  Detroit  to  Jackson, 
80  miles,  by  railroad  in  6  hours;  from  Jackson  to  St. 
Joseph,  120  miles,  by  stage  in  26  hours;  St.  Joseph  to 
Chicago  69  miles  by  steamboat  in  7  hours.  The  whole 
distance  of  269  miles  in  36  hours  and  for  only  $8.50." 
In  1846  Michigan,  dissatisfied  with  State  ownership, 
sold  the  Central  Railroad  to  the  Michigan  Central 
Railroad  Company.  By  the  terms  of  the  contract,  the 
railroad  was  to  be  pushed  to  the  west  with  all  speed. 
In  1849  the  railway  reached  Lake  Michigan.'^"  Con- 
nections were  made  with  Chicago  by  a  line  of  steam- 
ers.^^  In  1852  the  Michigan  Central  reached  Chicago, 
and  gave  that  city  its  first  railroad  connection  with 
Detroit.     The  significance  of  bringing  Michigan  and 

38.  Tanner,  Canals  and  Railroads  of  U.  S.  (1840),  215;  Haskell 

and  Smith,  Gazetteer;  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  IX,  273. 

39.  Niles'  Weekly  Reg.,  LXIV,  272. 

40.  Ibid.,  LXXV,  256. 

41.  Ibid.,  LXXV,  256. 


266  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

Detroit  into  communication  by  rail  with  the  city 
which  later  became  the  greatCvSt  railroad  center  of  the 
country,  if  not  of  the  world,  seemingly  was  not  recog- 
nized by  the  people  of  Michigan  at  the  time.  Many 
were  indignant,  "deeming  it  an  unjust  robbery  that 
the  millions  they  had  spent  fostering  railroads  should 
become  a  benefit  to  the  great  city  of  Illinois.""'-  De- 
troit for  a  time  was  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Central 
Railroad.  Connections  with  Buffalo  were  made  during 
the  season  of  navigation  by  steamers  belonging  to  the  • 
Michigan  Central  Railroad.  This  means  of  communi- 
cation with  the  East  continued  until  1854,  when  the 
Great  Western  Railway  was  opened  through  Canada 
between  Windsor  and  Niagara  Falls,  a  distance  of  229 
miles.  The  first  train  reached  Windsor  January  17, 
1854.''^  This  was  the  last  link  in  the  railroad  connec- 
tions between  the  East  and  Detroit.  Detroit  now  had 
communication  at  all  seasons  with  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board. 

From  the  first,  the  Michigan  Central  Railway  was  a 
paying  venture. )(  In  1838,  when  the  equipment  con- 
sisted of  only  four  small  locomotives,  five  passenger 
cars  and  ten  freight  cars,  and  the  line  only  to  Ypsi- 
lanti,  twenty-four  miles  from  Detroit,  the  railway  car- 
ried 29,000  passengers.''-*7v  The  net  receipts  for  the 
year  were  $37,283.''^  Andrews,  commenting  in  1851  on 
its  influence  in  developing  the  territory  it  served, 
said,"*^   "From   Detroit   to   New   Buffalo   the   Central, 

42.  Ross  and  Catlin,  Landmarks  of  Wayne  Co.  and  Detroit,  499. 

43.  Ibid.,  503;  Roberts,  Sketches  of  C  Ity  of  Straits,  54. 

44.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXII,  488. 

45.  Hunt's  Merchant's  Mag.,  Xll,  ii^7. 

46.  Andrews,  Trade  and  Coimnerce  of  Brit.  Colonies  with  V.  S., 

Exec.  Doc.  112,  32nd  Cong.,  "1st  Sess..  57. 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION      '  267 

Railroad  has  done  more  to  develop  the  matchless 
resources  of  this  state,  and  urge  it  forward  to  its  com- 
manding position,  than  any  other  route.  Cities,  vil- 
lages, and  large  flouring  mills  are  springing  into  exist- 
ence everywhere  along  the  line  of  this  road,  depend- 
ing upon  it  as  an  avenue  for  their  business  to  the 
lakes." 

The  Michigan  Central  and  the  Great  Western  formed 
important  links  in  a  trunk  line  along  "the  great  rail- 
road route"  between  the  densely  settled,  commercial, 
manufacturing  East  and  the  thinly  settled  agricultural 
central  West,  the  route,  that  students  of  transporta- 
tion, even  before  the  middle  of  last  century  came  to 
recognize  ultimately  must  develop.'*'^  Indeed  these  two 
railroads,  along  with  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan 
Southern  which  connected  Chicago  with  Buffalo  in 
1853,  and  the  Pittsburg,  Ft.  Wayne  and  Chicago 
which  reached  Chicago  in  1856,  were  among  the  chief 
agencies  in  bringing  about  the  shifting  of  traffic  routes 
whereby  New  Orleans  lost  and  New  York,  Boston, 
and  Philadelphia  won  in  the  dominance  of  the  traffic 
with  the  central  West.  The  situation  of  Detroit  along 
the  great  transportation  belt,  which  has  since  1869 
become  an  ocean  to  ocean  route,  has  no  doubt  been 
an  important  factor  in  its  growth  in  population  and 
industries,  particularly  since  the  Detroit  River  occa- 
sions a  break  in  rail  transportation,  only  partially 
overcome  by  car-ferry  (since  1867)  and  tunnel  (since 
1910).4« 

The  Detroit  and  Pontiac  Railroad  by  1843  had  been 

47.  Hunt's  Merchant's  Mag.,  XII,  325;  Ibid.,  XXVII,  438. 

48.  vSee  p. 


2J8 


HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION 


2G9 


Railroads  of  Michigan  in  1857 

{After  J.  Disturncll) 

Heavy  lines,  completed. 

Dotted  lines,  projected. 


Railways  of  Michigan  in  1869 
{From  Colter's  Map  of  MicJiigan) 


270  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 

constructed  as  far  as  Pontiac/'-*  In  1848  (April  3d)  the 
Oakland  and  Ottawa  Railway  Company  was  incor- 
porated. The  line  built  by  this  company  was  to 
extend  from  Pontiac  to  Ottawa  County  in  the  western 
part  of  the  State.  The  construction  of  this  line  was 
slow,  however.  In  1855  the  Detroit  and  Milwaukee 
Railway  was  organized  and  authorized  by  the  Legis- 
lature to  take  over  both  of  the  above  lines.  By  July  1 , 
1856,  the  line  had  reached  Owosso  and  by  September, 
1856,  it  was  completed  as  far  as  Mill  Point  (now 
Spring  Lake),  where  steamer  connections  were  had 
with  the  cities  on  Lake  Michigan.  In  1858  it  was 
extended  to  Grand  Haven. ^*^  This  road  brought  De- 
troit into  touch  with  one  of  the  most  fertile  parts  of 
the  State  and  rich  also  in  resources  of  lumber,  coal, 
and  gypsum.  The  population  of  the  section  tributary 
to  the  road  in  1854  was  241,000  and  the  acreage  of 
improved  land  820,000  acres.  At  Grand  Haven  the 
road  was  connected  by  car-ferry  with  Milwaukee,  from 
which  city  railroads  radiated  westward. ^^  This  line  is 
now  the  Detroit,  Grand  Haven,  and  Milwaukee  Rail- 
road, operated  under  the  Grand  Trunk  System. 

By  1857  there  were  four  railroad  lines  leading  west- 
w^ard  from  Detroit:  the  Michigan  Central;  the  Detroit 
and  Milwaukee  (nearly  completed),  the  Detroit,  Mon- 
roe and  Toledo  (62  miles  built) ;  and  the  Detroit  and 
Port  Huron  (under  construction) }-  During  the  decade 
1850   to    1860,    several    trunk    lines    were    formed    in 

49.  Niks   Weekly  Reg.,  LXIV,  345. 

50.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  IX,  273,  275  (Percival). 

51 .  Roberts,  Sketches  of  City  of  Straits,  52. 

52.  Di.sturncll,  A  Trip  Through  Lakes  of  N.  A.,  135;  Mich.  Hist. 

Colls.,  Yll,7\. 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION  271 

Eastern  United  States  by  the  consolidation  of  many 
short  lines.  This  was  one  of  the  more  important 
movements  in  the  history  of  railroads  in  America. 
By  such  consolidation  Detroit  was  brought  into  con- 
nection with  most  of  the  railways  then  in  existence 
in  the^  eastern  portion  of  the  country,  and  the  Michi- 
gan Central  gave  Detroit  access  to  a  large  mileage 
focusing  on  Chicago  from  the  north,  west  and  south. 
By  1885  ten  railways  led  from  Detroit  :^^ 

Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern; 

Wabash,  St.  Louis  and  Pacific; 

Detroit,  Monroe  and  Toledo; 

Michigan  Central; 

Pere  Marquette; 

Detroit,  Grand  Haven,  and  Milwaukee; 

Detroit  and  Bay  City; 

Detroit,  Lansing,  and  Northern; 

Grand  Trunk  (to  Port  Huron) ; 

Grand  Trunk  (Gt.  West.  Div.) 

Today,  connections  with  such  railway  centers  as 
Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Pittsburgh,  and  Buffalo 
give  Detroit  access  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States, 
Mexico,  and  Canada,  that  may  be  reached  by  rail. 
The  Grand  Trunk  gives  Detroit  a  direct  route  to  the 
best  part  of  Ontario  and  Quebec.  The  Canadian 
Pacific  puts  Detroit  in  communication  not  only  with 
east  Canada,  but  with  Manitoba  and  the  immense 
territory  to  the  west. 

The  benefits  of  increased  transportation  facilities 
that  accrued  to  Detroit  and  Southern  Michigan  by 

53.     Weeks,  Directory  of  Detroit  (1885),  data  from  several  pages. 


272  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

the  extension  of  wagon  roads  were  greatly  increased 
by  the  growth  of  the  railroad  mileage  radiating  from 
Detroit.  Michigan  in  the  decade  between  1830  and 
1840  increased  in  population  180,628.  From  1840  to 
1850  the  increase  was  185,387,  from  1850  to  1860, 
351,459,  from  1860  to  1870,  434,946."  The  railroad 
mileage  at  these  decades  was  as  follows  :^^ 

1840—35  miles 
1850—342  miles 
1860—779  miles 
1870—1638  miles 

The  population  data  for  Detroit  during  these  decades 
likewise  show  rapid  increases. ^"^  Statistics  show  that 
the  agriculture  in  Michigan  from  1850  to  1870 
advanced  rapidly.  The  statistics  for  1850,  1860,  and 
1870  are  as  follows:^' 


Area  In  farms. 

Improved  farms. 

Farm  values. 

1850 

4 ,  383 ,  890  acres 

7,030,834  acres 

10,019,142  acres 

1 ,  929 ,110  acre.3 
3,476,206  acres 
5,096,939  acres 

$51,872,446 

1860 

160,836,495 

1S70 

398,240,578 

In  1870  the  area  in  farms  was  2.3  times  that  in  1850, 
and  the  acreage  of  improved  farms  2.6  times  that  of 
1860.  The  value  of  farm  property,  however,  by  1870 
was  7.7  times  that  of  1850.  These  great  advances  in 
acreage  and  value  of  farm  property  are  due  chiefly  to 

54.  Stat.  Abst.  U.  S.,  1913,  26. 

55.  Poor's  Manual  of  R.  R.  of  U.  S.  (1876j.  97;  Stat.  Abst.  U.  S. 

(1913),  262.' 

56.  Sec  p. 

57.  Xo  data  arc  obtainable  for  1840  on  the  items  given  in    this 

table. 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION  273 

increased  facilities  for  reaching  markets,  reduction  of 
freight  rates,  and  an  increased  return  for  labor  ex- 
pended on  the  farm. 

In  1837  the  cost  by  wagon  of  transporting  material 
from  Detroit  to  Marshall  was  $2  per  cwt.  ($40  per  ton). 
The  Michigan  Central  in  1848  carried  wheat  from 
Kalamazoo  to  Detroit  for  $6.04  per  ton.^^  Assuming 
the  cost  of  raising  wheat  to  be  $15  per  ton  and  the  cost 
of  hauling  on  dirt  roads  25  cents  per  ton-mile,  wheat 
selling  at  $1.00  per  bushel  can  be  raised  profitably 
only  within  72  miles  of  a  market.  With  a  rail  rate 
of  4  cents  per  ton-mile  the  area  for  profitable  wheat- 
raising  has  a  450  miles  radius.  At  a  distance  of  100 
miles  from  market,  under  the  first  conditions,  wheat, 
if  raised,  is  raised  at  a  loss  of  $7  per  ton,  under  the 
second  conditions,  with  freight  rates  at  4  cents  per 
ton-mile,  the  profits  at  100  miles  are  $14  per  ton. 
With  a  decrease  in  freight  rates  the  profits  of  wheat- 
growing,  and  farming  in  general,  became  greater,  the 
total  value  of  farm  products  increased,  and  the  value 
of  farm  property  would  show  a  similar  advance.  This 
expansion  of  market  area  and  increase  of  wealth  of 
producers  meant  much  to  Detroit,  the  natural  market 
for  most  of  Southern  Michigan. ^^  It  was  reported  that 
in  1849  two-thirds  of  the  exports  of  the  State  and 
three-fourths  of  the  imports  for  the  State  passed 
through  Detroit.*^" 

The  railroad  undoubtedly  has  been  the  greatest 
single  factor  in  the  development  of  manufactures  at 
Detroit,  particularly  so  in  the  recent  decades  since 

58.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXXVIII,  603  (Chase). 

59.  Tenth  Census,  XIX,  Pt.  II,  604. 

60.  Himt's  Merchant's  Mag.,  XX,  278. 

35 


274 


HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 


Detroit  has  come  to  rely  so  little  on  the  Lake  trans- 
portation/'' The  capital  invested  in  manufactures  and 
the  value  of  products  turned  out  by  decades  for  1840 
to  1870.  inclusive,  are  as  follows /- 


MANUFACTURES  OF  WAYXK  COUNTY. 


Capital 
invested. 


Value  of 
product. 


1840  (1) 
1850  (2) 
1860  (.3) 
1870  (4) 


$27.0,810 

1,066.2.5.5 

4,137,766 

14,732,160 


not  .stated. 

$1,966,000 

6, 498,. 593 

26,217,68.5 


The  position  of  Detroit,  sixty  miles  northeast  of 
the  west  end  of  Lake  Erie,  is  such  that  the  shortest 
railroad  route  between  Detroit  and  Buffalo  is  across 
Southern  Ontario.  To  use  this  route  both  the  Detroit 
and  Niagara  rivers  must  be  crossed.  The  Suspension 
Bridge  was  constructed  in  1855  to  overcome  the  break 
in  the  land  route  at  Niagara  River,*^^  but  the  bridging 
of  the  Detroit  River,  owing  to  the  immensity  of  Lake 
traffic  and  the  lowness  of  the  lands  on  each  side  of 
the  river,  is  not  feasible.  For  thirteen  years  after  the 
Great  Western  Railroad  reached  Windsor,  ferry-boats 
were  used  to  transfer  freight  across  the  Detroit  River. 
This  was  both  an  expensive  and  a  slow  process.  The 
increase  in  traffic,  due  to  the  spread  of  railroads  and 
the  closer  settlement   of  the  region  to  the   west   of 

61.  See  p. 

62.  Data  for  Wayne  County  must  be  used,  for  statistics  on  the 

manufactures  of  cities  were  not  taken  by  the  census 
bureau  until  1880. 

(1).  Comp.  Sixth  Census.  333. 
(2).  Comp   Seventh  Census,  259. 
(3).  Eighth  Census,  M'f'res..  272. 
(4).  Comp.  Ninth  Census,  828. 


63.     Flint,  Railroads  of  U.  S.,  167. 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION  275 

Detroit,  led  the  Great  Western  Railroad  in  1867  to 
introduce  car-ferries.'^'*  Car-ferries  are  still  used  on 
the  Detroit  River  by  some  of  the  railroads.  As  early 
as  1871,  the  construction  of  a  tunnel  beneath  the 
Detroit  River  received  consideration.  In  1872  and 
1873,  a  shaft  was  sunk  and  a  lateral  bore  made,  but 
the  work  was  soon  abandoned  because  of  sulphur 
water  and  quicksand. "^^  The  unfavorable  conditions 
of  the  rock  discouraged  the  engineers,  who  made  an 
attempt  at  Stoney  Island  in  1879.'^'^  Nothing  further 
was  done  in  tunnel-making  until  1906,  when  the 
Michigan  Central  Railroad  began  work  on .  a  tunnel 
which  was  opened  for  traffic  July  1,  1910.  This  tun- 
nel is  unique  in  its  construction.  Profiting  by  the 
experiences  of  the  earlier  engineers,  no  attempt  was 
made  to  excavate  a  bore  beneath  the  river.  Instead, 
a  trough  was  dredged  in  the  bottom  of  the  river  from 
shore  to  shore,  and  a  steel  cylinder,  constructed  in 
sections  at  a  shipyard,  was  sunk  so  as  to  rest  in  the 
trough,  and  covered  with  cement  and  stone.  Ap- 
proaches were  excavated  beneath  Detroit  and  Wind- 
sor. The  total  cost  of  construction  was  $8,500,000. 
This  tunnel  has  greatly  reduced  the  time  for  and 
expense  of  the  transportation  of  through  freight  taking 
the  route  by  way  of  Detroit.  Before  its  construction 
and  use  there  was  much  delay  in  breaking  up  trains, 
loading  and  unloading  car-ferries  and  the  reassembling. 
In  the  winter,  ice  in  the  river — and  during  the  season 
of  navigation  the  heavy  traffic  passing  up  and  down 
the    river — interfered   with   the    passage    of   the    car- 

64.  Ibid. 

65.  Sherzer,  Geology  of  Wayne  Co.,  24. 

66.  Ibid.;  Mich.  Pamphlets  1850  to  1877,  XIX,  106. 


276 


HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 


ferries.     Trains  now  pass  through  the  tunnel  in  the 
time  it  formerly  took  to  load  the  car-ferries. 

Interurban  railroads  are  projected  from  large  popula- 
tion centers  wherever  the  density  of  population  in  the 
neighboring  rural  districts  is  sui^cient  to  furnish  a 
large  passenger  traffic,  or  where  there  are  other  cities 
within  fifty  or  one  hundred  miles.  Both  these  condi- 
tions exist  in  the  region  about  Detroit.  Within  a 
radius  of  seventy-five  miles  of  Detroit  are  Port  Huron, 
Flint,  Jackson,  Ann  Arbor,  Pontiac,  Adrian,  and 
Toledo,  cities  of  ten  thousand  people  and  over.     Within 


Interurban  Lines  Centering  at  Detroit, 
WITH  A  FEW  Connecting  Lines 


a  radius  of  one  hundred  miles  there  are  also  Bay  City, 
Saginaw,  East  Saginaw,  Lansing,  and  Battle  Creek. 
Within  the  hvmdred  mile  radius  of  Detroit  there  are 
large  areas  in  which  the  density  of  rural  population  is 
from  forty  to  one  hundred  people  per  square  mile. 
All  the  above-named  cities,  except  Adrian,  and  most 
of  the  lesser  cities  and  towns  are  connected  with 
Detroit  by  interurban  lines  which  furnish  hourly  and 
in  some  cases  half -hourly  service.  On  all  the  lines  fast 
"limited"  cars  are  run.     In  1911  more  than  260  pas- 


LAND  TRANSPORTATION  277 

senger  cars  and  40  express  (freight)  cars  ran  daily  over 
these  various  electric  lines."  The  several  lines  radiat- 
ing from  Detroit  have  extended  the  area  from  which 
"shoppers"  come  to  the  city.  Many  of  the  merchants 
in  the  smaller  towns  report  a  loss  of  trade.  Since 
many  of  the  interurban  lines  parallel  the  steam  rail- 
ways, some  of  the  latter  have  been  forced  to  grant 
commutation  fares  to  and  from  Detroit.  This  has 
been  beneficial  to  the  retail  business  of  the  city.  The 
many  interurban  lines  and  the  commutation  service  on 
the  steam  railways  are  important  factors  in  extending 
the  residence  area  of  the  business  people  6f  Detroit. 
Many  of  them  now  live  from  ten  to  twenty  miles  from 
the  city,  passing  to  and  from  their  places  of  business 
daily.^^ 

67.  Sherzer,  Geol.  of  Wayne  Co.,  26. 

68.  The  dates  of  construction  of  the  various  interurban  h'ncs  out 

of  Detroit  are  as  follows : 

Detroit  to  Wyandotte 1891. 

Rapid  Ry.  to  Mt.  Clemens 1894. 

Rapid  Ry.  to  Pt.  Huron 1899. 

Detroit  to  Pontiac 1895. 

Shore  line  to  Mt.  Clemens 1897. 

Detroit  to  Ann  Arbor 1897. 

Branch  to  Saline 1899. 

From  Ann  Arbor  to  Jackson 1901. 

Flint  line  from  Detroit 1898  to  1900. 

Orchard  Lake  Division 1898. 

Flint  to  Saginaw  (Since  about  1908) ? 

Detroit  to  Toledo 1901. 

(Data  furnished  by  A.  D.  B.  VanZadt,  Publicity  Agent 
of  Detroit  United  Railway.  As  to  the  data  above  he 
says,  "  It  is  not  possible  to  give  you  the  specific  dates  in 
the  construction  of  all  these  properties  as  most  of  these 
interurban  lines  were  built  by  smaller  companies  whose 
interests  were  later  purchased  by  the  Detroit  United 
Railway.") 


278  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

The  Michigan  United  Railway,  since  April,  1911, 
has  been  running  cars  over  the  Detroit  United  Rail- 
way between  Jackson  and  Detroit/''-*  Both  the  Michi- 
gan United  Railway  and  the  Detroit  United  Railway 
connect  at  Jackson  with  the  Michigan  United  Railway 
lines  from  Kalamazoo  and  Lansing. 

69.     Sherzer,  Geology  of  Wayne  Co.,  25. 


CHAPTER  XII 
The  Development  of  Manufactures  at  Detroit 

MANUFACTURING  industries  commonly  come 
late  in  the  economic  development  of  a  region. 
This  is  well  illustrated  in  the  industrial  development 
of  eastern  United  States.  Our  forefathers  for  the  first 
few  decades  after  their  settlement  along  the  Atlantic 
coast  gained  a  living  by  exploiting  the  furs,  the  fish- 
eries, and  the  forests.  What  tillage  was  done  was 
mainly  exploitive.  Where  conditions  were  favorable, 
agriculture  later  came  to  dominate,  and  it  in  turn, 
after  many  decades,  was  overshadowed  in  importance 
by  the  factory  and  the  work-shop. 

On  a  developing  frontier  the  same  stages  in  the 
evolution  of  the  industries  are  experienced;  but  while 
the  older  regions-  take  scores  of  years  to  pass  from 
the  exploitive  to  the  manufacturing  stage,  the  frontier 
will  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  or  at  most  decades, 
pass  through  all  the  stages  and  come  to  possess  indus- 
tries as  highly  specialized  as  any  to  be  found  in  the 
older  regions. 

The  hunter  and  trapper  are  commonly  the  first  to 

arrive  on  the  frontier.     Then  comes  the  pioneer  settler, 

half  farmer  and  half  hunter.     He  is  soon  replaced  by 

the  real  agriculturist.^     In  time,  with  further  increase 

1.  Ogg,  Vordhams  Personal  Narrative,  1817-1818,  125;  Blowe, 
Emigrant's  Directory,  105;  Dwight,  Travels  in  New  Eng. 
and  N.  Y.,  II,  458  to  463;  Thwaites,  Early  West.  Travels, 
IX,  232  (Flint). 


2S0  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 

of  population,  a  village  is  started  which  under  favor- 
able conditions  may  become  a  town,  and  later  a  city. 
Village,  town,  and  city  have  their  own  respective 
types  of  industries. 

The  Detroit  region  has  passed  through  all  these 
stages,  but  its  development  has  some  peculiarities 
owing  to  the  fact  that  for  the  first  hundred  years  it 
was  a  mere  adjunct  of  the  fur  trade.  For  nearly  one 
hundred  years  its  industries  suffered  arrested  develop- 
ment. It  was  not  until  the  early  part  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  after  the  coming  of  the  Americans, 
that  its  real  industrial  development  began. 

The  commerce  and  industries  of  the  settlement  dur- 
ing the  French  regime  have  been  discussed  in  a  previ- 
ous chapter.^  Under  the  British  they  remained  almost 
unchanged,  except  that  ship -building  was  introduced. 
This  industry  was  stimulated  by  their  desire  to  keep 
and  control  the  inland  w^aters.  Records  show  that 
from  1769  to  1794  there  were  turned  out  of  the  King's 
shipyard  at  Detroit  many  vessels  varying  in  size  from 
18  to  136  tons  burden.  From  1772  to  1782  eight 
vessels  were  built  and  repaired.^  Large  rafts  of  logs 
to  be  used  for  the  planking  were  brought  from  the 
river  La  French,  and  masts  and  beams  from  the 
forests  bordering  Lake  Huron.^  The  cost  of  construc- 
tion was  great,  as  all  the  rigging,  Hnes,  and  iron  had 
to  be  brought  from  England.^  In  1794  a  sloop  of 
forty-seven-foot  keel,  nineteen-foot  beam  and  seven- 
foot  hold  was  laid  down  in  His  Majesty's  dock  yard 

2.  Chap.  IV. 

3.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIV,  12;  XXIII,  343,  353. 

4.  Ibid.,  XVII.  594. 

5.  Liancourt,  Travels  in  N.  A.,  I,  289. 


MANUFACTURING 


281 


at  Detroit  to  cost  "1,901  pounds  12s.  4  d.-half  penny 
Currency  Dollars  at  five  shillings.'^"  The  upkeep  of 
these  early  Lake  vessels  was  also  great.  They  were 
constructed  of  unseasoned  timber,  and  at  most  lasted 
for  only  eight  or  ten  years.  Frequent  overhauhng  was 
necessary.^  The  ship  yard  at  Detroit,  being  the  only 
one  on  the  Upper  Lakes,  therefore  kept  very  busy. 

In  the  early  period  of  American  occupation  of  the 
Detroit  region  the  condition  of  the  manufactures  was 
little  improved.  Their  primitive  character  at  the  close 
of  the  first  decade  of  the  nineteenth  century  is  well 
shown  by  the  following  data:^ 


MANUFACTURES  AT  DETROIT   1810. 


Products. 


Amount. 


Value. 


Flax  and  hemp  goods — yards  .  .  . 
Woolen  goods  In  families — yards 

Hats — number 

Liquors — gallons 

Soap — pounds 

Candles — pounds 

Hides,  tanned — number 

Saddles  and  bridles — number .  .  . 


421 

1,300 

400 

8,200 

37 , 000 

6,500 

1,100 

60 


$316 
1,300 
2,800 
6,000 
4,750 
2.356 
6,600 
720 


6.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXIII.  344. 

7.  Liancourt,  Travels  in  N.  A.,  I,  289;  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XVII, 

349. 

8.  Amer.  State  Papers,  Finance,  II,  811.     These  are  the  earliest 

data  of  manufactures  at  Detroit.  Statistics  of  manu- 
factures of  cities  did  not  again  become  a  part  of  the  re- 
ports of  the  census  bureau  until  1880.  Between  1810  and 
1880  the  reports  give  statistics  only  for  the  states  and  the 
counties.  It  will,  therefore,  be  necessary  to  use  the  sta- 
tistics for  Wayne  County  between  1810  and  1880  to  trace 
the  development  of  manufactures  at  Detroit.  Since  De- 
troit, as  will  be  shown  in  later  pages,  completely  domi- 
nated the  manufactures  of  Wayne  County  during  the 
later  decades,  it  is  very  probable  that  it  did  in  the  decades 
between  1810  and  1880.  The  early  statistics  are  incom- 
plete and  the  sj^stem  of  enumeration  differed  from  that 
followed  in  later  decades.  The  data  k)r  the  various  cen- 
sus 5'ears,  therefore,  are  difficult  to  compare. 


282  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

There  were  120  spinning-wheels  and  6  looms  in  opera- 
tion in  homes  and  factories.  The  other  factories  were 
2  tanneries,  1  hat  factory,  2  distilleries,  4  candle  and 
soap  factories,  and  4  gristmills.^  The  total  value  of 
manufactures  for  Detroit  was  $24,742.  This  was 
sixty-seven  per  cent  of  the  total  for  the  State,  and  less 
than  two-hundredths  of  one  per  cent  of  that  of  the 
United  States. ^"^ 

Descriptions  of  these  early  industries  are  lacking, 
but  judging  from  the  amount  of  the  product  turned 
out,  they  were  all  small;  many  were  carried  on  in  the 
homes.  The  industries  were  called  upon  to  supply 
only  the  local  needs  of  the  people.  The  raw  materials 
used — flax,  hemp,  wool,  furs,  corn,  barley,  fat,  and 
hides — were  of  local  production. 

The  census  report  for  1820^^  gives  returns  for  three 
counties  in  the  State — Oakland,  Crawford,  and  Wayne. 
The  boundaries  of  these  counties  were  very  different 
from  those  now  bearing  the  same  names.  In  Oakland 
County  there  was  produced  ten  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  lumber  in  two  sawmills,  employing  in  all 
seven  men.  In  Crawford  County,  the  manufactures 
were  bar-lead,  traps,  tomahawks,  and  other  articles  for 
the  Indian  trade.  Wayne  County  shows  the  greatest 
value  and  variety  of  manufactures.  Complete  returns 
of  the  value  of  products  produced  in  the  county  are 
not  given. 

9.     Unci. 

10.  Ibid.,  712. 

11.  Enumeration  began  Auj:i;.  1,  1820.     The  data  arc  for  the  year 

ending  Aug.  1,  1820. 


MANUFACTURING  283 

MANUFACTURES  OF  WAYNP:  COUNTY  1820.'2 


Articles. 

Value  of  material  used. 

Men 
employed. 

Capital 
employed. 

Wages 
paid. 

Cooper's  ware  

$100 
(6,500  bu.) 
(5,000  bu.) 
$6.. 500 

$950 

1 
3 
2 
6 
4 
2 
2 
4 
2 
2 
3 

Flour  and  meal 

Flour  ancinieal 

Hats 

$1,600 
$5,000 

$180 

$300 

$2 , 500 

Leather 

$3,000 

$5 , 000 

$500 

$500 

$400 

Lumber 

Saddles 

$37 
%9.  nno 

$125 
$800 

Saddles 

$2,500 

$500 

$1,000 

$300 

Tinware 

Whiskey 

$1,000 
(grain  used  2 ,  160  bus.) 

$210 

Leather  and  lumber  are  the  only  manufactured  prod- 
ucts to  which  values  are  assigned.  The  leather  was 
valued  at  $2,500  and  the  lumber  at  $500. 

The  incompleteness  of  the  returns  in  1820,  and  the 
fact  that  no  returns  for  Wayne  County  in  1810  are 
given,  makes  anything  more  than  a  general  compari- 
son with  the  industries  of  the  previous  decade  impos- 
sible. In  the  data  for  1820  textile  products  are  not 
included,  but  a  new  indUvStry,  the  manufacture  of 
tin,  has  been  introduced.  No  advance  apart  from  the 
introduction  of  the  manufacture  of  tinware  seems  to 
have  been  made  in  the  ten  years  preceding  1820. 

There  are  many  reasons  for  the  retarded  develop- 
ment of  manufactures  at  Detroit  in  the  early  decades 
of  its  existence  as  an  American  town.  The  abundance 
of  cheap  land  and  the  great  productivity  of  the  land 
per  unit  of  labor,  caused  many  settlers  in  the  West  to 
prefer  agricultural  ptu'suits  to  the  manufacturing  in- 
dustries.^^    Bradbury,   writing   in    1810,    says   in   this 

12.  American  State  Papers,  Finance,  IV,  221;  Also  in  4ih  Census 

Kept.,  1820. 

13.  Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  IX,  238  (Flint);  Quart.  Jr. 

Econ.,  XVII,  117. 


284  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 

regard  :^^  "There  is  no  part  of  the  world  where  labor 
finds  a  better  market  than  in  the  Western  Country. 
This  results  from  a  state  of  things  that  will  not  admit 
of  a  speedy  change,  A  very  moderate  sum  of  money 
enables  a  man  to  procure  one  or  two  hundred  acres 
of  land;  the  savings  of  two  or  three  years  will  enable 
a  working  man  to  effect  this,  if  he  is  prudent;  and 
although  he  can  cultivate  only  a  small  part  of  it,  and, 
perhaps,  for  the  first  two  or  three  years  not  more  than 
will  maintain  his  family,  yet  the  accumulation  of 
property  by  the  regular  and  rapid  advance  in  the 
value  of  land,  forms  more  than  the  savings  of  the 
laborer  and  the  mechanic."  Because  of  these  condi- 
tions even  when  the  laborers  went  to  the  towns  they 
were  continually  returning  to  the  farm  as  soon  as 
they  had  saved  a  little  money.  The  density  of  popula- 
tion had  not  yet  become  great  enough  to  leave  a  sur- 
plus of  workers  beyond  those  on  the  farms. 

Capital  was  lacking  in  the  West.  The  withdrawal 
of  laborers  from  the  towns  meant  the  withdrawal  of 
their  savings  to  be  invested  in  lands.  Much  of  the 
money  invested  in  lands  went  to  the  Government, 
and  was  therefore  taken  from  the  West.  It  took 
many  years  for  the  farmers  to  accumulate  a  surplus. 
There  was  little  flow  of  capital  to  the  West,  there 
being  few  economic  prizes  to  offer.  The  Easterners 
were  content,  therefore,  to  invest  their  money  at 
home. 

Transportation  facilities  were  poor  and  the  market 
for  manufactured  goods  was  confined  to  the  immediate 
region.     The  frontier  was  as  yet  only  thinly  peopled. 

14.    Thwaites,  Early  Western  Travels,  V,  285. 


MANUFACTURING  285 

The  aggregate  purchasing  power  was  therefore  small. 
Life  on  the  frontier  was  semi-primitive.  Purchases 
were  limited  to  the  necessities  of  life,  and  since  many 
of  the  manufactures  were  carried  on  at  home,  there 
was  little  need  to  go  outside  the  household  for  clothing 
and  foods.  Most  of  the  hotises  and  barns  were  built 
of  rough  logs.  The  forests  furnished  an  abundance  of 
these. 

The  completion  of  the  Erie  Canal,  the  introduction 
of  the  steamboat  on  the  Great  Lakes,  the  opening  of 
the  Lakes-to-Ohio  and  Mississippi  canals,  and  the 
building  of  railroads,  all  within  the  course  of  twenty 
or  thirty  years,  did  much  to  improve  the  conditions 
for  the  growth  of  manufactures.  The  spread  of  the 
cotton  culture  in  the  South  and  the  resultant  stimulus 
to  the  industries  in  the  Ohio  and  Upper  Mississippi 
valleys  had  some  effect,  though  indirect,  upon  the 
economic  conditions  of  the  Lakes  region.  The  increas- 
ing population  in  the  territory  enlarged  the  market  for 
the  products  of  Detroit  and  furnished  a  surplus  of 
workers  for  the  factories.  Skilled  mechanics  of  various 
trades  became  more  numerous,  the  increasing  popula- 
tion and  enlarging  markets  making  a  division  of  labor 
more  possible.  The  standard  of  living  was  raised,  due 
to  a  certain  extent  to  a  closer  contact  with  the  outside 
through  the  various  agencies  of  transportation  and 
communication,  but  to  a  large  degree,  no  doubt,  to  the 
increase  of  wealth.  The  per  capita  purchasing  power 
was,  therefore,  increased. 

From  1835  to  1837  was  the  great  period  of  specula- 
tion^^  and  of  rapid  flow  of  capital  to  the  West.  The 
15.    Page 


280 


HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 


rising  prices  seemed  to  assure  the  borrowers  an  easy 
burden,  and  the  high  interests  that  soon  came  to  be 
paid  assured  the  lenders  a  good  reward.  It  was  the 
capital  of  the  East  that  built  the  canals  and  railways 
in  the  West  and  linked  the  Great  Lakes  with  the 
American  seaboard. 

The  ingenuity  of  the  American  people  had  much  to 
do  with  the  rapid  development  of  manufactures  when 
once  their  activities  were  directed  to  these  industries. 
Flint  says,""'  "The  habits  of  the  American  people  are 
peculiarly  favorable  to  the  adoption  of  manufacturing 
pursuits.  Their  well  known  spirit  of  enterprise  and  the 
circumstance  of  almost  every  man's  being  able  to 
handle  the  axe,  the  saw,  the  hammer,  and  the  joiner's 
plane  must  give  faculty  to  the  acquisition  of  mechani- 
cal labor.  From  1820  to  1840  the  increase  in  variety 
and  value  of  manufactures  was  considerable.  The  data 
for  Wayne  County  in  1840  are  as  follows  :^^ 

MANUFACTURES  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY.  1840 


Product. 


Products  of  flour,  grist,  and  saw  mills 

Leather 

Various  metals  (not  stated  what  these  were). 

Machinery 

Hats  and  caps 

Brick  and  lime 

Granite  and  marble 

Carriages  and  wagons 

Tobacco  

Precious  metals 

Confectionery 

Hardware  and  cutlery 

Earthenware 


^■alue 
of  product. 


$116 
81 
45 
21 
12 
8 
7 

r> 
r, 

5 
3 
1 
1 


,37.5 
,370 
,500 
,760 
,000 
,040 
.000 
,075 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,2.50 
,100 


16.  Thwaites.  Early  Western  Travels,  IX,  275  (Flint). 

17.  Ccmp.  Sixth  Census  {{i^40),  322  to  333.     Data  " corrected  by 

the  De])'t.  of  State  in  1840."  printed  in  1841.  Date  of 
close  of  census  year  not  stated.  No  data  are  available 
for  1830,  no  provision  having  been  made  by  Congress  for 


MANUFACTURING  287 

Values  were  not  given  for  many  of  the  products. 
There  were  also  produced  in  Wayne  County  $22,614 
worth  of  timber,  forty  tons  of  pot  and  pearl  ashes, 
76,000  pounds  of  soap,  56,000  pounds  of  candles,  8,000 
gallons  of  whiskey  and  194,000  gallons  of  beer.  The 
manufacturing  plants  listed  were  8  flour  mills,  3  grist- 
mills, 28  sawmills,  2  breweries,  1  distillery,  3  tan- 
neries, 2  fulling  mills,  and  5  furnaces  for  making  cast 
iron.  The  number  of  soap  and  candle  factories  was 
not  given. 

Few  quantitative  statements  can  be  made  as  to  the 
advance  in  manufactures  during  the  twenty  years  fol- 
lowing 1820,  the  data  for  both  1820  and  1840  being 
so  incomplete  and  indefinite.  Leather  had  increased 
in  value  of  product  from  $2,500  in  1820  to  $81,370  in 
1840.  The  number  of  men  employed  in  the  tanneries 
had  increased  from  4  to  21  in  the  same  period.  In  the 
value  of  timber  produced  in  Wayne  County,  there  had 
been  an  advance  from  $500  in  1820  to  $22,614  in 
1840.  The  leading  products  manufactured  in  1840 
according  to  value  were  leather,  flour,  lumber,  metals, 
machinery,  and  alcoholic  drinks.  These  for  the  most 
part  are  representative  of  primary  manufacttires  or 
of  manufactures  in  their  early  stages  of  develop- 
ment. 

The  tanning  of  leather,  up  to  the  last  half  century, 
depended  largely  upon  the  use  of  oak  or  hemlock 
bark.  Since  the  finished  product,  leather,  could  stand 
the  cost  of  transportation  much  better  than  the  bulky 

the  taking  of  the  industrial  statistics.  {Tenth  Census, 
Manufactures,  page  vii.)  Wayne  County  was  organized 
with  boundaries  as  at  present  in  1826.  (Sherzer,  Geology 
of  Wayne  County) . 


288  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

bark,  the  tanning  industry  was  located  near  the  oak 
and  hemlock  forests.  The  forests  of  Southern  Michi- 
gan, containing  large  stands  of  oak  and  hemlock,  fur- 
nished one  of  the  essentials  for  the  location  of  tan- 
neries. The  tanneries  of  Wayne  County  produced 
forty  per  cent  of  the  leather  of  the  State.  Tanning  was 
a  simple  operation  requiring  no  machinery  and  little 
skill  and  labor.  Layers  of  bark  were  put  between 
layers  of  hides  in  pits  or  vats,  and  the  whole  covered 
with  water.  The  tannin  in  the  bark  did  the  work. 
The  tanneries  were  small.  In  1810  the  two  tanneries 
in  operation  in  Detroit  had  a  total  output  of  1,100 
hides. ^^  In  1840  in  Wa^mc  County  there  were  only 
three  tanneries  in  operation,  employing  in  all  twenty- 
one  men,  and  producing  $81,370  worth  of  leather 
per  year.^^ 

Flour  milling  is  an  industry  representative  of  all  the 
higher  stages  of  social  development.  It  was  one  of 
the  first  industries  on  all  the  American  frontiers.  At 
Detroit  a  flour  mill  was  erected  as  early  as  1703  or 
1704.  Because  of  the  low  gradient  of  the  streams, 
however,  most  of  the  power  used  was  from  windmills. 
Weld  in  1716  reported  that  the  French  ground  their 
grain  by  windmills.-"  In  the  earlier  years  of  the  de- 
velopment of  industries  at  Detroit  the  flour  mills 
supplied  chiefly  the  local  markets.  Soon  after  the 
development  of  the  region  by  the  Americans,  flour 
became  an  article  of  export.  In  1808  Thos.  Emerson 
and  Company  of  Detroit  shipped  a  large  consignment 

18.  Avtcr.  State  Papers,  Finance,  II,  811. 

19.  Ccnnp.  Sixth  Census,  322. 

20.  Ross  and  CatHn,  Landmarks  of  Wayne  County  and  Detroit,  257. 


MANUFACTURING  289 

to  Fort  Wayne,^^  and  in  1826  two  hundred  barrels 
were  shipped  East  from  Monroe  by  vessel  and  through 
the  then  newly  completed  Erie  Canal."  By  1831  it 
became  the  practice  of  merchants  at  Montreal  and 
Quebec  to  purchase  American  flour  in  the  Western 
Country  for  exportation  to  the  West  Indies. ^^  In  1841 
the  exports  of  flour  from  Detroit  amounted  to  180,000 
barrels  valued  at  $900,000.2^  Only  a  small  part  of 
this,  however,  originated  in  Wayne  County,  for  the 
output  in  1840  was  only  20,100  barrels  valued  at 
$116,375.-5 

The  lumber  industry  of  Wayne  County  in  the  early 
decades  of  the  nineteenth  century  depended  on  the 
pine  timber  in  the  forests  of  southeastern  Michigan. 
A  dense  "hardwood"  forest  covered  most  of  the  sec- 
tion south  of  a  line  extending  from  Port  Huron  to 
Grand  Haven,  but  most  of  the  sandy  tracts  in  this 
area  had  heavy  stands  of  pine  trees.  The  great  pine 
forest  area  in  Michigan  lay  to  the  north  of  a  line  from 
Port  Huron  to  Grand  Haven.  The  mills  of  Wayne 
County  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Detroit  River,  ob- 
tained their  logs  from  a  large  area  bordering  Lake 
St.  Clair,  St.  Clair  River,  and  Lake  Huron.  In  1810 
lumber  was  not  Hsted  among  the  manufactured  prod- 
ucts of  Detroit  nor  of  the  Territory  of  Michigan. 
There  was  Httle  call  for  lumber  in  the  early  settling 
of  the  region.  The  French  used  hewn  timbers  for  the 
construction  of  their  buildings.     It  is  probable  that 

21.  Roberts,  Sketches  of  Detroit,  18. 

22.  Campbell,  Pol.  Hist,  of  Mich.,  416. 

23.  A^^Y^-^'  Weekly  Reg.,  XLI,  165. 

24.  Hunt's  Merchant's  Mag.,  VI,  341. 

25.  Comp.  of  Sixth  Census,  322  to  333. 

37 


290  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT  _ 

the  British  used  hewn  timbers  also  in  the  buildings 
they  erected.  Hewn  timbers  or  lumber  sawed  by 
hand  was  used  in  the  construction  of  the  vessels  dur- 
ing the  British  occupation  of  Detroit.  The  early  Amer- 
ican settlers  commonly  lived  in  log  houses  for  the  first 
decade  or  two  after  settling  in  Michigan,  but  with  the 
increase  of  wealth  and  the  development  of  higher 
standards  of  living,  frame  houses  and  bams  came  to 
be  the  dominant  types.  The  first  steam  sawmill  in 
Detroit  was  built  in  1832  by  the  "Detroit  Steam  Mill 
Company. "^"^  By  1840  twenty-eight  mills  were  re- 
ported in  operation  in  Wayne  County.  The  products 
of  these  mills  found  a  ready  sale  in  the  farming  region 
of  southeastern  Michigan.  After  1825  the  Erie  Canal 
furnished  an  outlet  for  lumber  to  the  East.  Shingles 
and  lumber  to  the  value  of  $75,000  were  shipped  from 
Detroit  in  1841." 

The  iron  industry  in  Wayne  County  in  1840  owed 
its  existence  to  the  abundance  of  wood,  from  which 
charcoal  was  made,  and  to  deposits  of  bog  iron  ore. 
It  is  reported  that  there  were  fifteen  blast  furnaces 
in  Michigan  in  1840,  five  of  which  were  in  Wayne 
County.  Many  of  these  alleged  furnaces  were  doubt- 
less foundries.  Others  were  true  blast  furnaces  pro- 
ducing cast  iron  from  bog  ores.-'^  The  rich  ores  of  the 
Northern  Peninsula  of  Michigan  were  not  yet  used. 
Much  pig  iron  was  brought  from  Ohio  and  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  1840,  420  tons  of  iron  were  produced  in 
Wayne  County,  sixty-four  men  were  employed,  and  377 

26.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  II,  410. 

27.  Hunt's  Merchant's  Mag.,  VI,  341. 

28.  Tenth  Census,  Manufactures,  843,  845. 


MANUFACTURING  291 

tons  of  fuel  used.  The  capital  invested  was  $32,300.^^ 
The  machinery  produced  at  the  fovmdries  and  machine 
shops  supplied  the  market  in  the  surroimding  region. 

Alcoholic  drinks,  beer  and  whisky,  were  made  from 
the  local  products  of  the  farm:  barley,  rye,  corn,  and 
hops.  Such  industries  are  particularly  adapted  to 
regions  with  poor  transportation  facilities.  The  fin- 
ished product  found  a  ready  sale  in  the  local  markets 
and  much  was  shipped  outside  the  county.  It  is  re- 
ported that  in  1841,  12,000  barrels  of  whisky  were 
shipped  from  Detroit,  valued  at  $7,800.^° 

The  industrial  development  of  the  region  was  hin- 
dered greatly  by  the  lack  of  factory  workers.  The 
rapid  settling  of  the  region  to  the  west  of  Detroit 
drew  men  to  the  lands. ^^  Until  there  should  come  a 
surplus  of  workers  upon  which  the  industries  could 
draw,  the  chief  interests  of  the  city  would  be  com- 
mercial; manufacturing  would  be  of  secondary  con- 
cern and  only  such  as  would  stipply  the  most  pressing 
local  needs  of  the  people.  A  writer  who  visited  De- 
troit about  this  time  remarks,^-  "Some  large  iron 
foundries  have  lately  been  erected  and  set  in  motion 
here ;  but  commerce  rather  than  manufactures  is  likely 
to  be  for  a  long  time  the  distinguishing  occupation  of 
the  whites  of  Detroit." 

During  the  twenty  years  from  1840  to  1860,  how- 
ever, the  leading  economic  activities  at  Detroit  had 
shifted    from    commerce    to    manufactures.     The    in- 


29.  Comp.  of  Sixth  Census,  322. 

30.  Hunt's  Merchant's  Mag.,  VI,  341. 

31.  See  Chapter  VII. 

32.  Buckingham,   The  Eastern  and  Western  States  of  America, 

III,  388. 


21V2  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

creasing  transportation  facilities  furnished  by  the  rail- 
ways to  the  East  and  the  West  broadened  the  sphere 
of  commercial  relations  for  the  city.  Raw  products 
could  be  derived  from  a  wider  area,  the  manufactured 
articles  could  reach  a  much  larger  market.  The  num- 
ber of  purchasers  had  increased,  the  purchasing  power 
per  capita  was  greater,  and  the  people  were  depend- 
ing less  and  less  upon  supplying  their  own  wants. 
More  and  more  they  came  to  enjoy  the  benefits  of 
co-operative  exchange.  The  excellent  transportation 
facilities  furnished  by  the  lakes  and  rivers  north  of 
Detroit  enabled  the  city  to  continue  in  the  manu- 
facture of  lumber.  This  is  the  chief  reason  for  the 
great  importance  that  the  lumber  and  wood  industry 
had  in  Detroit  and  Wayne  County  in  1860.  The  com- 
pletion of  the  St.  Mary's  Canal  in  1855  furnished  an 
outlet  for  the  copper  and  iron  ore  of  the  Northern 
Peninsula  of  Michigan,  and  gave  the  cities  on  the 
shores  of  the  Lakes,  wherever  fuel  could  be  had,  an 
invitation  to  develop  the  metal  industries.  The  build- 
ing of  railways,  the  rapid  settling  of  the  farming  lands 
in  Southern  Michigan,  the  increasing  demands  for 
agricultural  implements,  and  the  growth  of  cities  and 
industries  in  the  near  by  regions  stimulated  manu- 
factures along  many  lines. 

In  Wayne  County  in  1860  the  leading  products  of 
the  factories  were  as  follows  :^^ 


33.     Eighth  Census,  Manufactures,  272-273.     Data  for  the  year 
ending  June  20,  1860. 


MANUFACTURING  293 

MANUFACTURES  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY  FOR  1860. 


Product. 


Copper  smelted 

Lumber  sawed 

Machinery-and  steam  engines 

Iron-bar  and  railroad 

Leather 

Flour  and  meal 

Liquors,  malt 

Iron,  pig 

Furs 

Soap  and  candles 

Printing  (newspaper  and  job) 

Boots  and  shoes 

Sash,  doors,  etc 


Value. 


$1,500 
619 
608 
585 
380 
314 
262 
145 
143 
138 
136 
132 
127 


,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,840 
,000 
.000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 
,000 


Number  of 
establish- 
ments. 


7 

43 

12 

1 

9 

15 

21 

2 

1 

4 

3 

33 

10 


Men 
employed. 


40 

466 

505 

300 

108 

35 

78 

120 

48 

52 

135 

128 

157 


Among  other  articles  were  saws,  clothing,  carriages, 
wagons  and  carts,  marble  and  stone,  cooperage,  cigars, 
and  agricultural  implements,  all  above  $35,000  in 
value.  Sixty-seven  varieties  of  articles  were  listed  in 
the  report.  Most  of  the  factories  were  small,  how- 
ever, as  may  be  judged  from  comparison  of  the  num- 
ber of  establishments  and  persons  employed.  The  iron 
industries  were  the  largest,  employing  from  forty  to 
three  hundred  men. 

The  remarkable  showing  in  the  production  of  copper 
was  due,  chiefly,  to  the  enterprise  of  a  few  business 
men  of  Detroit,  but  there  were  geographic  factors  as 
wtII.  The  existence  of  copper  was  known  to  the 
French  as  early  as  1660.^"^  During  the  period  of 
British  occupation  attempts  were  made  to  work  some 
of  the  copper  deposits.  These  attempts,  however, 
were  unsuccessful,  due  mostly  to  the  difficulties  of 
transportation.^^  Active  mining  dates  from  1845.  By 
1850   there   were   no   less   than   twenty-three   mining 

34.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXVII,  628.  ' 

35.  Ibid.,  XIII,  51. 


294         "       HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

companies  in  the  copper  region,  employing  about 
eight  hundred  men.'^'^  About  this  time  John  R.  Grout, 
of  Detroit,  secured  claims  to  a  portion  of  the  copper 
range,  several  capitalists  from  Waterbury,  Connecticut, 
furnished  .the  capital,  and  in  1850  the  "Waterbury  and 
Detroit  Copper  Company"  was  organized.  The  Cop- 
per Country  at  that  time  was  almost  a  wilderness. 
The  settled  portion  of  Michigan  in  1850  was  mostly 
south  of  the  latitude  of  the  south  end  of  Saginaw 
Bay.^"  Since  Detroit  had  connections  with  Lake 
Superior  by  water  and  was  the  nearest  city  to  the 
copper  deposits  at  which  any  considerable  number  of 
workers  could  be  obtained,  it  was  chosen  as  the  site 
for  the  smelters.  The  works  first  constructed  were 
crude.  There  were  a  smelter  house,  a  reverberatory 
furnace,  and  other  accessories.  As  the  mining  interest 
grew  and  production  increased,  the  smelter  at  Detroit 
was  enlarged  and  improved.  The  opening  of  the  St. 
Mary's  Canal  in  1855  cheapened  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation from  the  mines  to  the  Lower  Lakes.  This 
favored  the  development  of  the  industry  at  Detroit. 
Other  works  were  established  at  or  near  Detroit.  In 
1860  seven  establishments  were  in  existence  in  Wayne 
County  with  an  output  of  $1,500,000.^'^  For  many 
years  the  smelters  at  Detroit  did  a  large  share  of  the 
smelting  in  the  Lakes  region. ^^  About  1860  there  were 
seven  cities  in  the  United  States  that  had  copper 
smelters.''" 


36.  DeBow's  Rev.,  XV,  359. 

37.  Sec  Poijulation  Map,  ]). 

38.  Eighth  Census,  Manufactures,  272-273. 

39.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXVIII,  650. 

40.  Hunt's  Merchant's  Mag.,  XLII,  433. 


MANUFACTURING 


295 


The  time  came,  however,  after  the  completion  of 
the  St.  Mary's  Canal,  when  people  could  be  induced 
to  live  in  the  "far  away"  Copper  Country.  Smelters 
could,  therefore,  be  established  near  the  mines  and 
lessen  expenses  of  transportation.  In  1860  smelters 
were  erected  at  Portage  Lake.  The  Detroit  smelter 
continued  to  operate,  however,  until  about  ISyp."^^ 

Except  for  copper,  the  important  industries  rep- 
resented in  1860  were  in  existence  in  1840,  the  reasons 
for  which  have  been  suggested. 

By  1880  there  had  been  a  marked  change  in  the 
ranking  of  the  manufactured  products  of  Wayne 
County.  Some  had  disappeared  from  the  list  of  lead- 
ing products,  others  which  twenty  years  previous  had 
occupied  only  a  minor  place,  or  were  not  represented 
at  all,  now  ranked  among  the  leading  industries.  The 
more  important  products  in  value  were:'*^ 

MANUFACTURES  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,   1880 


Products. 


Value. 


Tobacco  and  cigars 

Iron  and  steel 

Foundry  and  machine  shop  products  . . 

Men's  clothing 

Flour  and  grist  mill  products 

Slaughtering  and  packing  products . . . . 
Railway  car  fconstruction  and  repairs) 

Ship  building — vessels  of  all  sorts 

Malt  liquors 


The  total  product  was  valued  at  $33,470,000,  or 
more  than  five  times  the  output  of  the  factories  of 
the   county   in    1860.     The   establishments  numbered 

41.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XXVIII,  628,  650;  Eighth  Census,  Manu- 

factures, 272,  273;  Tenth  Census,  Manufactures,  272. 

42.  Tenth  Census,  Manufactures,  282.     Data  for  the  vear  ending 

June  1,  1880. 


296  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 

1088,  nearly  three  times  the  number  in  1860.  The 
establishments  had  increased  in  size  and  in  average 
value  of  output.  Wayne  County  produced  about 
twenty  per  cent  of  the  total  factory  output  for  the 
State.^3 

Copper  had  disappeared  from  among  the  list  of 
manufactured  products,  the  smelter  having  been  dis- 
mantled and  re-erected  in  the  Northern  Peninsula, 
near  the  mines.  The  lumber  production  had  declined 
greatly,  the  sawmills  now  being  located  nearer  the 
source  of  supply  of  lumber.  The  decline  had  been 
going  on  for  three  or  four  decades.  By  1880  little 
lumber  was  manufactured  in  Wayne  County.  In  1840 
Wayne  County  produced  about  six  per  cent  of  the 
output  for  the  State."^^  In  1860  it  produced  only 
$619,000  worth  out  of  the  $7,000,000  worth  sawed  in 
the  State,  and  had  only  forty-three  out  of  thh  927 
establishments  of  the  State. "^^  In  1880  the  mills  of 
Wayne  County  sawed  only  $304,015  worth  out  of  the 
$52,450,000  worth  produced  in  the  State,  and  had 
only  nineteen  out  of  the  1,649  sawmills."**^  From  pro- 
ducing about  nine  per  cent  of  the  lumber  in  1860,  the 
industry  had  so  declined  by  1880  that  only  about  six- 
tenths  of  one  per  cent  of  the  output  of  the  State  was 
produced  in  Wayne  Count ^^''^  As  previously  stated, 
the  sawmill  industry  in  Wayne  County  was  greatly 
aided  by  the  excellent  facilities  for  transportation  of 
logs.     As  the  frontier  moved  northward,   mills  were 

43.  Ibid.;  Eighth  Census,  Manufactures,  272,  273. 

44.  Data  from  Comp.  of  Sixth  Census,  322  to  33.^. 

45.  Eighth  Census,  Manufactures,  273,  275. 

46.  Tenth  Census,  Manufactures,  146,  282. 

47.  Ibid. 


MANUFACTURING  297 

established  at  the  mouths  of  all  the  important  streams 
and  the  great  pine  area  was  tapped.  These  mills  soon 
supplanted  those  of  Wayne  County.  Lumber  is  more 
easily  handled  than  logs.  The  mills  at  Detroit,  which 
had  to  bear  the  expense  of  rafting  the  logs  from  the 
mouths  of  the  streams  of  Lake  Huron  to  Detroit,  could 
not  compete  with  the  mills  located  near  the  source  of 
supply,  such  as  those  in  the  Saginaw  Valley  and  along 
Lake  Huron  from  the  mouth  of  the  Saginaw  River 
northward. 

Considering  now  the  new  industries  that  had  become 
important,  it  appears  the  only  geographic  reasons  for 
the  great  development  of  the  tobacco  and  cigar  in- 
dustry were,  the  presence  of  a  growing  center  of  popula- 
tion in  Wayne  County  (which  was  an  important  market 
in  itself)  and  the  excellent  facilities  for  distribution. 
Some  tobacco  was  raised  in  the  vicinity  for  many  years 
but  it  was  always  a  minor  crop.*^ 

In  1840  the  output  of  the  tobacco  and  cigar  factories 
was  valued  at  $5,000.  In  1860  the  output  increased 
to  $6,000;  but  by  1880  the  product  of  the  factories 
was  valued  at  $2,700,000.  In  Detroit  alone  there 
were  sixty-three  establishments,  employing  861  men, 
227  women,  and  154  children.  A  large  number  of 
establishments  were  cigar  factories  in  which  almost  all 
the  work  was  done  by  hand.  This  was  the  only 
industry  at  this  date  that  employed  large  numbers  of 
women  and  children. 


48.  In  1840  Michigan  raised  1602  pounds  of  tobacco.  Virginia 
the  same  year  produced  75  milHon  pounds  and  Kentucky 
53  milHon.  In  1860  Michigan  produced  121,000  pounds 
and  in  1880,  83,969  pounds.  {Twelfth  Census,  Manu- 
factures, Pt.  Ill,  640). 


2J8  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF   DETROIT 

The  iron  and  steel  industry  which  by  1880  occupied 
second  rank  in  value  of  products  and  first  rank  in  the 
magnitude  of  the  plants,  was  the  outgrowth  of  the 
start  in  iron .  manufacture  that  had  been  made  pre- 
vious to  1840."'^  Since  that  date  there  had  been  a 
considerable  development.  From  1840  to  1850  there 
was  in  general  little  progress  in  iron  manufactures  in 
Michigan,  due  no  doubt  to  the  poor  quality  of  ore 
and  its  rapid  depletion.  About  1850  beginnings  were 
made  in  Wayne  County  in  the  smelting  of  the  rich 
iron  ores  of  Lake  Superior.  Lake  Superior  ore  was 
first  brought  into  Southern  Michigan  in  1846,  and 
tried  in  a  furnace  at  Jackson,  Michigan.  A  bar  of 
excellent  quality  was  obtained,  the  "first  iron  ever 
made  from  Lake  Superior  ore."^°  The  first  shipment 
of  iron  ore  from  the  Lake  Superior  region  was  in  1850, 
about  five  tons  being  sent  to  New  Castle,  Pennsyl- 
vania. After  the  opening  of  the  St.  Mary's  Canal, 
the  shipments  increased  rapidly  and  the  furnaces  in 
Wayne  County  began  to  use  these  ores,  but  the  fur- 
naces in  the  interior  of  the  State  continued  to  use 
bog  ore.  All  these  furnaces  used  charcoal  for  fuel, 
as  late  at  least  as  1880.  In  the  Northern  Peninsula 
the  abundance  of  timber  for  the  making  of  charcoal 
(and  the  deposits  of  iron)  attracted  the  attention  of 
capitalists.  The  first  forge  was  erected  at  Marquette 
in  1850,  and  the  first  pig  iron  was  made  in  1850.  By 
1880,  23  furnaces  had  been  built  in  the  Northern 
Peninsula. ^^  In  1880  Michigan  was  the  "first  state  in 
the  Union  in  the  manufacture  of  charcoal  pig  iron," 

49.  Sec  p. 

50.  Tenth  Census,  Manufactures,  843,  845. 

51.  Ibid. 


MANUFACTURING  299 

and  ranked  eighth  in  the  Hst  of  iron  producing  states/" 
At  this  time  there  were  two  rolhng-mills  in  operation 
in  Wayne  County,  the  Eureka  at  Wyandotte,  built 
in  1853,  and  the  Baugh  Steam  Forge  Company's 
plant  at  Detroit,  built  in  1877.^^  It  is  reported  that 
Wyandotte  was  selected  as  the  site  for  furnaces  and 
rolling-mills  "by  reason  of  the  heavily  wooded  tracts 
in  all  the  neighborhood."^* 

The  forests  were  soon  depleted,  however,  and  the 
production  of  iron  came  to  depend,  in  part,  upon  coal. 
The  situation  of  Detroit  and  Wayne  County  upon  the 
route  between  the  ore  deposits  and  coal  deposits  was 
no  assurance  for  the  continuation  of  the  manufacture 
of  iron.  The  blast  furnaces  came  to  be  located  farther 
east,  nearer  the  markets  and  nearer  the  coal  deposits, 
it  being  easier  to  handle  iron  ore  than  either  coal 
(or  coke)  or  pig  iron.  Open-pit  mining  and  the  im- 
proved devices  for  loading  and  unloading  iron  ore  have 
been  important  factors  in  bringing  this  condition 
about.  After  1880  the  iron  industry  declined  in 
importance  in  Wayne  County. 

Wyandotte,  in  Wayne  County,  has  the  distinction 
of  having  produced  the  first  Bessemer  steel  in  America. ^^ 
Bessemer  of  England  began  his  experiments  in  con- 
verting cast-iron  into  steel  as  early  as  1854.  In  1856 
he  endeavored  to  get  patents  on  the  process  in  the 
United  States,  but  was  confronted  by  Mr.  Kelley,  an 
iron-maker  of  Pennsylvania,  with  a  claim  of  priority 
of  discovery.     Bessemer  lost.     The  converter,  however, 

52.  Ibid. 

53.  Ibid.;  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XIII,  370. 

54.  Mich.  Hist.  Colls.,  XIII,  318. 

55.  Ibid.,  XXI,  341;  Tenth  Census,  Manufactures,  859. 


300  HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

that  Kcllcy  used  was  not  like  that  employed  by  Besse- 
mer. In  a  few  years  the  Bessemer  Company  secured 
patents  in  America.  About  1863,  Capt.  E.  B.  Ward 
and  others  of  Detroit  secured  control  of  the  patents 
of  Kelley  and  organized  the  Kelley  Process  Company. 
An  engineer  was  sent  to  England  to  investigate  the 
Bessemer  process.  Upon  his  return  experimental  works 
were  established  at  Wyandotte,  Michigan.  A  conver- 
ter of  2.5  tons  capacity  was  constructed,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1864  Bessemer  steel  was  produced.  The  use  of 
Bessemer  machinery  was  in  direct  violation  of  the 
Bessemer  patents.  The  Kelley  Process  Company  could 
not  make  the  steel  without  the  use  of  the  Bessemer 
machinery.  Arrangements  had  to  be  made  with  the 
holders  of  the  Bessemer  patents.  In  1866  all  the 
American  patents  w^ere  consolidated.  The  plant  at 
Wyandotte  continued  in  operation  until  1869.^^  In 
the  meantime  other  plants  had  been  started  in  Wayne 
County. 

Among  the  new  industries  in  1880  were  the  making 
of  men's  clothing  and  the  meat-packing  industries, 
both  of  which  are  important  in  most  large  cities.  The 
large  tailor-shops  supplied  the  local  and  wholesale 
trade  of  Detroit.  The  refrigerator  car,  introduced 
about  1875,  tended  to  concentrate  meat-packing  in  the 
large  cities. 

Flouring  and  gristmilling  continued  to  be  important. 
The  area  from  wliich  the  grains  were  drawn  was  much 
extended  by  the  settlement  of  the  wheat  lands  to  the 
west  of  the  Lakes.  Wheat  came  to  be  one  of  the 
great  bulk  cargoes  in  Lake  traffic.     Buffalo  has  been 

56.     I'cntli  Census,  Manufactures,  862. 


MANUFACTURING 


301 


for  many  decades  the  great  eastern  terminus  for  the 
grain  trade  of  the  Lakes;  but  the  mills  at  Detroit, 
situated  on  the  route  between  the  wheat  regions  and 
Buffalo,  found  it  easy  to  secure  wheat  to  supply  their 
trade.  Momentum  of  an  early  start,  and  ability  to 
supply  a  trade  already  developed,  helped  to  sustain 
the  industry  at  Detroit. 

In  the  census  report  for  1880,  statistics  for  the 
manufactures  of  the  cities  are  given  for  the  first  time. 
The  total  value  of  the  manufactured  products  for 
Detroit  was  over  $30,000,000;  the  number  of  establish- 
ments, 919;  the  male  employees,  12,477;  the  female 
employees  and  children  and  youths,  1,203.  Detroit 
produced  nearly  ninety  per  cent  of  the  manufactures 
in  Wayne  County.  For  the  first  time  adequate  data 
showing  the  relative  importance  of  the  industries  of 
Detroit  to  those  of  the  country  are  given.  The  lead- 
ing products  were  as  follows:" 

MANUFACTURES  AT  DETROIT,   18S0. 


Product. 


Value. 

m 

,499 

000 

2 

,409 

000 

2 

,056 

200 

,808 

000 

,721 

000 

,6.50 

000 

,144 

000 

,066 

000 

986 

000 

980 

000 

739 

000 

Percentage  of 

product  of 
Wayne  County 


Iron  and  steel 

Tobacco  and  cigars 

Men's  clothing 

Foundry  and  machine  shop 

Meat  packing 

Flour  and  grist  mill 

Malt  liquors 

Boots  and  shoes 

Printing  and  publishing  .  . . 

Bread  and  bakery 

Ship  building 


100 
89 

99.7 
7.5 
100 
83 
99 

Practically  all. 

Practically  all. 

Practically  all. 
62 


Detroit  at  this  time  produced  about  twenty  per 
cent  of  the  manufactured  products  of  the  State.  Among 
the  cities  of  the  country  it  ranked  nineteenth  in  manu- 

57.     Tenth  Census,  Manufaciures,  399. 


302 


HISTORICAL  GEOGRAPHY   OF   DETROIT 


factures  and  seventeenth  in  order  of  population.  The 
cities  producing  greater  amounts  of  manufactured 
products  were  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chicago, 
Brooklyn,  Boston,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Baltimore, 
San  Francisco,  Pittsburgh,  Newark,  Jersey  City, 
Cleveland,  Milwaukee,  Bufifalo,  Providence,  Louisville, 
and  Lowell. ''^ 

By  1909  Detroit  had  advanced  to  the  sixth  city  in 
rank  in  the  United  States  in  value  of  output  of  manu- 
factures.    It  stood  ninth  in  rank  of  population,  show- 


New  York 

C  h  I  ca.90 

Ph  i  ladelphia. 

S+".  Louis 

Cleveland 

Detroit 

Pi+fsburg 

Bojf on 

Michigan 


•  'Z5J 


74fe 


z-jz. 


Value  of  Manufactures  of  Principal  Cities  in  1909 
(Scale  of  one  million  dollars) 

ing  that  manufacturing  had  increased  much  more 
rapidly  than  population,  and  manufacturing  had  come 
to  be  the  chief  interest  of  the  city.^^ 

The  value  of  all  manufactured  products  amounted 
to  nearly  $223,000,000.  This  was  about  twice  the 
total  output  of  the  factories  of  the  United  States  in 
1810,'''"  more  than  fifty  per  cent  of  the  output  of  the 
country  in  1840,  and  almost  equal  to  the  entire  out- 
put of  Michigan  in   1889.'"'^     It  was  three  times  the 

58.  Ibid.,  p.  xxiv. 

59.  Sec  ranking  in  1880,  p. 

60.  Data  from  Amer.  State  Papers,  Finance,  II,  712. 

61.  Twelfth  Census,  Manufactures,  Part  II,  985. 


MANUFACTURING  303 

output  of  the  factories  of  the  city  in  1899,  and  eight 
times  that  of  ISSO.*'^  ^he  leading  ten  products  in 
value  were  as  follows:*^" 

MANUFACTURES  OF  DETROIT,   1009 

Automobiles  and  parts ^fa'oofi'nnn 

Foundry  and  machine-shop  products {o'a^n'nnn 

Slaughtering  and  meat  packing  products {o'T^o'nnn 

Tobacco  (cigars,  cigarettes,  etc.) lo'ooTnnn 

Brass  and  bronze if'^^a'nnn 

Patent  medicines 4  9Q1   nnn 

Printing  and  publishing  products «  1 1  A'nnn 

Lumber  and  timber ^KYfinnn 

Stoves  and  furnaces %' nao  nnn 

Flour  and  grist  mill  products 5,u«y,uuu 


Automobile  and  automobile  parts  constitute  nearly 
23.5  per  cent  of  the  total  mamifactured  products  of 
the  city.  These  products  were  more  than  three  times 
the  value  of  foundry  and  machine-shop  products,  the 
next  in  rank  of  value.  Never  before  in  the  develop- 
ment of  manufactures  at  Detroit  has  one  industry 
dominated  so  completely  the  industrial  field.  In  1860 
in  Wayne  County  the  copper  output  was  nearly  two 
and  one-half  times  the  output  of  lumber,  the  next  in 
rank.*^-^  In  1880  the  leading  five  prodticts  ranged  in 
value  of  output  between  $1,650,000  and  $2,500,000.^^ 

In  1909,  38.8  per  cent  of  all  the  automobiles  pro- 
duced in  the  United  States  were  built  in  Michigan,  and 
14.5  per  cent  of  the  capital  invested  in  the  automobile 
industry  in  the  country  was  invested  in  Detroit  .'^'^  The 
automobile  industry  dates  from  about  1895.  The  re- 
port of  the  Twelfth  Census  does  not  list  automobiles 

62.  Tenth  Census,  Manufactures,  409. 

63.  Thirteenth  Census,  Manufactures,  IX,  583.   Data  for  the  year 

ending  Dec.  31,  1909. 

64.  See  p. 

65.  See  p. 

66.  Thirteenth  Census,  Spec.  Rept.,  Manufactures,  Part  II,  2/0. 


304  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

among  the  manufactures  of  Michigan,  but  in  the 
United  States  "automobiles  and  other  horseless 
conveyances"  were  manufactiu'cd  to  the  value  of 
$4,680,000/''  In  1904,  there  were  constructed  in 
Michigan  9,125  cars.  In  1909,  64,800  machines  were 
constructed  and  assembled  in  the  State,  and  valued 
at  $70,360,000;  50,000  of  these  were  built  in  Detroit 
alone /^ 

The  starting  of  this  industry  in  Detroit  was  not 
purely  accidental.  It  was  due  largely  to  the  activity 
of  the  State  in  industries  allied  to  that  of  the  auto- 
mobile industry.  Michigan  has  for  a  long  time  ranked 
high  among  the  States  in  the  manufacture  of  carriages, 
wagons,  and  wheels.  In  1900  it  was  second  in  rank 
in  the  manufacture  of  "family  and  pleasure  carriages," 
the  output  amounting  to  $7, 430, 000. '^'■^  The  workers 
and  factories  producing  these  products  could  adapt 
themselves  easily  and  quickly  to  the  manufacture  of 
automobile  bodies  and  wheels.  One  writer  says,'^° 
"Detroit,  Flint,  Pontiac,  and  Lansing,  for  the  first 
three  years  supplied  almost  all  the  automobile  bodies 
used  in  Detroit  without  the  erection  of  a  single  addi- 
tional plant."  The  opportunities  offered  for  boating 
had  stimulated  the  manufacture  of  marine  gasoline 
engines  in  Michigan.  In  1899,  the  first  census  at 
which  statistics  on  this  industry  were  collected,  there 
were  79  establishments  in  Michigan  engaged  in  the 

67.  Twelfth  Census  (1900),  X,  Manufactures,  Part  IV,.310. 

68.  Board  of  Cmnmerce  Kept.  (1909),  12. 

69.  Twelfth  Census,  X,  Manufactures,  Part  IV,  311. 

70.  Stocking  in  ''The  Detroiter,"  a  publication  of  the  Detroit 

Board  of  Commerce,  1913.  The  main  line  of  thought 
used  here  in  the  discussion  of  the  automobile  was  sug- 
gested by  the  article  by  Stocking  in  this  publication. 


MANUFACTURING  305 

manufacture  of  "internal  combustion  engines."  The 
product  was  valued  at  $268,300.^^  The  adaptation  of 
the  marine  engine  to  the  propulsion  of  land  vehicles 
was  not  difficult.  Foundries  and  machine  shops  and 
the  manufacture  of  iron  and  steel  have  for  a  long 
time  been  among  the  important  industries  in  the  city. 
In  1890  Michigan  was  eighth  in  rank  among  the 
States  in  the  manufacture  of  foundry  and  machine- 
shop  products,  and  ninth  in  the  manufacture  of  iron 
and   steel. ^2     'pj^g   ^^^y  ^^3   ^jg^   ^^11   suppHed   with 

factories  for  the  manufacture  of  copper  and  brass 
wares  and  easily  turned  these  plants  to  the  manu- 
facturing of  copper  and  brass  parts  and  fixtiu-es  needed. 
Last  among  the  articles  needed  were  paints  and  var- 
nishes. For  twenty  or  thirty  years  these  Hkewise  had 
been  industries  of  growing  importance  in  the  city.  In 
1890  Michigan  was  eighth  in  rank  in  the  United 
States  in  the  manufacture  of  paint,  and  sixth  in  rank 
in  manufacture  of  varnishes  and  japans. ^^  Starting 
with  these  advantageous  elements,  success  w^as  assured 
when  Detroit  genius  devised  some  of  the  earliest  suc- 
cessful cars.  Pioneers  in  this  field,  like  pioneers  in 
many  other  fields,  reaped  enormous  profits.  Capital 
soon  came  to  stand  ready  to  furnish  money  to  any- 
body with  definite  plans  and  ideas.  The  early  start 
is  the  most  important  factor  in  the  development  of 
the  automobile  industry  in  Michigan  and  Detroit. 

The  influence  of  the  automobile  industry  has  been 
felt  in  many  of  the  allied  trades.     The  products  of 

71.  Twelfth  Census,  X,  Manufactures,  Part  IV,  301. 

72.  Eleventh  Census,  Manufacturing  Industries,  Part  I,  197   221 

73.  Ibid.,  265. 

39 


30G  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

foundries  and  machineshops  in  the  thirty  years  since 
1880  increased  from  $1,800,000  to  over  $18,000,000. 
Bronze  and  brass  which  were  only  of  minor  value 
among  the  products  of  1880,  by  1909  ranked  fifth,  with 
a  value  of  over  $12,000,000.  The  iron  and  vSteel  in- 
dustry at  Detroit,  however,  has  not  advanced  in  value 
of  output  since  1880.  In  the  report  of  the  Tenth 
Census,  iron  and  steel  headed  the  list  with  a  value  of 
nearly  $2,500,000.  In  1909  these  products  stood  tenth 
in  rank,  with  a  value  of  $2,300,000.''  The  developing 
automobile  industry  has  had  little  or  no  influence  on 
this  industry,  undoubtedly  due  to  the  proximity  of 
Detroit  to  the  larger  steel  producing  centers  in  Ohio 
and  western  Pennsylvania. 

Both  the  slaughtering  and  meat-packing  and  the 
tobacco  industries  have  made  rapid  gains  since  1880. 
Slaughtering  and  meatpacking  has  advanced  in  volume 
of  business  150  per  cent  within  the  last  ten  years.  The 
sales  in  1909  were  nearly  seven  and  one-half  times 
those  of  1880.  The  local  markets  in  most  of  the  small 
towns  of  Michigan  have  come  to  depend  upon  western 
beef,  and  many  secure  their  supply  from  Detroit. ^^ 
As  for  the  tobacco  industry  the  "First  Michigan  Dis- 
trict" ranked  eighth  among  the  districts  in  the  United 
States  in  value  of  output.  The  factories  at  Detroit 
make  about  nine-tenths  of  all  the  product  of  the  First 
District. '•■• 

The  beginning  of  the  pharmaceutical  industry,  the 
sixth  in  rank  in  the  city,  goes  back  to  the  early  drug- 

74.  Thirteenth  Census,  Manufactures,  I,  28. 

75.  Data  from  Tenth  Census,  Manufactures,  410;  Thirteenth  Cen- 

sus, Manitfaciures,  28. 

76.  The  Detroiter,  Pub.  by  the  Bd.  of  Commerce,  1913. 


MANUFACTURING  307 

stores  of  Chapin  and  Hand  in  the  late  thirties ;  although 
drugs  were  not  manufactured  in  any  great  quantity 
until  twenty  years  later.  "^  There  seems  to  be  no 
geographic  reasons  for  the  localization  of  the  industry 
at  Detroit.  The  making  of  patent  medicine  is  profit- 
able, and  capital  will  readily  flow  into  profitable  chan- 
nels of  business.  The  excellency  of  the  preparations 
made  at  Detroit  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the 
development  of  this  industry.  As  in  the  automobile 
industry,  the  large  profits  made  by  the  pioneers  in  the 
manufacture  of  drugs  induced  others  to  invest  capital. 
Many  of  the  Detroit  plants  have  branches  in  foreign 
countries. 

The  printing  industry  supplies  mainly  the  local 
market.  The  railways  radiating  from  Detroit  to  many 
parts  of  Michigan  have  stimulated  the  newspaper 
business.  Rural  free  delivery  has  aided  much  in  the 
expansion  of  the  newspaper  business  in  Detroit. 

The  manufacture  of  stoves  and  ranges  had  its  begin- 
ning in  the  factory  of  Jeremiah  Dwyer  in  1861.  The 
first  of  the  large  companies  was  incorporated  in  1864; 
the  second  large  company,  the  Michigan  Stove  Com- 
pany, was  incorporated  in  1871.  The  Peninsula  Stove 
Company  was  organized  in  1881.'^^  The  prominence 
of  Michigan  in  iron  manufactures  about  the  time  of 
the  organization  of  the  pioneer  companies  and  the 
fact  that  Detroit  is  a  good  distributing  point  are  the 
chief  geographic  reasons  for  the  growth  of  the  industry 
in  the  city. 

The  seeming  increase  in  the  importance  of  the  lum- 

77.  Leonard,  Industries  of  Detroit,  10. 

78.  Ibid.,  9. 


308  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

ber  industry  is  due  to  a  new  basis  of  classification.  In 
the  previous  decades  sawed  lumber  was  considered 
separately.  In  the  data  for  1909  sawed  lumber  was 
included  with  the  output  of  sash,  doors,  cooperage, 
interior  finish,  and  all  mill  work.  Much  Canadian 
lumber  is  now  being  worked  up  in  the  planing-mills  of 
Detroit. 

Detroit  has  grown  in  population  and  in  manufac- 
tures much  faster  in  the  last  decade  than  has  the  State. 
From  1900  to  1910  the  State  increased  in  population 
only  16.1  per  cent.  Detroit  during  the  decade  in- 
creased 63  per  cent.'^  In  1899  Detroit  made  only 
twenty-eight  per  cent  of  the  products  manufactured 
in  the  State;  in  1909  it  produced  thirty-seven  per  cent. 
The  percentages  of  the  output  of  the  State  for  the 
various  commodities  in  which  Detroit  leads  are  as 
follows  :^° 

Slaughtering  and  meat-packing  products.  .95.6  per  cent. 

Brass  and  bronze 88.5  per  cent. 

Structural  and  rolling-mill  products 86     per  cent. 

Patent  medicines 85.8  per  cent. 

Tobacco  and  cigars 78.9  per  cent. 

Fur  goods 76.1  per  cent. 

Men's  clothing 72.9  per  cent. 

Copper,  tin,  and  sheet  iron. . .  ^ 71.7  per  cent. 

Stoves  and  furnaces 62.2  per  cent. 

Automobiles 61.6  per  cent. 

Leather  goods 54.5  per  cent. 

In  1810,  the  first  year  for  which  there  are  data  for 

79.  Thirteenth  Census,  Population,  I,  898. 

80.  Thirteenth  Census,  Manufactures,  556,  557. 


MANUFACTURING  309 

the  manufactures  of  Detroit,  the  total  value  of  prod- 
ucts turned  out  was  $24,742.  This  was  sixty-seven  per 
cent  of  the  total  for  the  Territory.  Detroit  at  that 
time  was  a  small  settlement  of  perhaps  750  persons, 
and  except  for  the  settlements  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  Territory,  was  completely  isolated  from  the 
remaining  portion  of  the  country.  It  was  thirty  days 
distant  from  New  York  City,  even  with  the  most  rapid 
modes  of  travel.  Michigan  Territory  contained  about 
4,700  persons,  only  a  portion  of  whom  were  within 
easy  distance  of  the  settlement  at  Detroit.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  people  were  French,  not  much  above  the 
hunting  and  fishing  stage  in  industrial  development. 
For  over  one  hundred  years  they  had  been  isolated 
from  the  factories  of  Europe  and  had  been  accustomed 
to  supplying  their  own  wants  from  the  natural  re- 
sources about  them.  A  few  Americans  had  come  and 
to  them  is  due  the  start  in  manufactures  that  had  been 
made,  but  like  most  emigrants,  their  purchasing  power 
was  exceedingly  limited.  This  was  the  population  that 
the  factories  at  Detroit  at  that  early  date  catered  to. 
Poor  transportation  limited  the  area  from  which  the 
raw  materials  for  manufactures  could  be  drawn.  The 
manufacturing  plants  by  necessity,  therefore,  were 
primitive  in  machinery  and  methods,  and  their  char- 
acter was  determined  by  the  resources  of  the  imme- 
diate neighborhood.  The  average  output  per  estab- 
lishment was  two  thousand  dollars  per  year.  Only 
eight  kinds  of  articles  are  listed  as  factory  products. 
Grains,  fur,  hides,  and  timber  were  the  articles  most 
used  in  manufacture.  There  were  few  establishments 
in  each  industry.     Only  thirteen  "factories"  were  enu- 


310  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

meratcd  besides  those  engaged  in  the  making  of  woolen 
goods.  Most  of  the  "woolens"  was  manufactured  in 
the  household. 

In  1910  the  output  of  the  factories  of  Detroit  was 
valued  at  over  $254,000,000,  or  ten  thousand  times  the 
value  of  output  of  the  factories  in  1810.  The  small 
settlement  of  1810  had  grown  to  a  modern  city  with  a 
population  of  466,000  people,  or  more  than  six  hundred 
times  the  population  of  one  hundred  years  before. 
Modern  transportation  facilities  have  put  the  factories 
of  the  city  in  touch  with  every  part  of  the  world. 
Instead  of  catering  to  an  area  of  a  few  thousand  square 
miles  and  a  few  thousand  people,  today  many  millions 
of  square  miles  and  many  tens  of  millions  of  people 
may  be  reached.  It  is  true  that  in  the  larger  sphere 
many  cities  compete,  but  in  many  articles  the  fac- 
tories of  Detroit  have  an  equal  chance  with  those  of 
other  industrial  centers.  A  sphere  of  commercial  con- 
trol for  any  city  does  not  exist  in  an  open  market. 
Within  the  eastern  part  of  Michigan  and  in  parts  of 
Canada  in  which  the  factories  of  Detroit  have  a  great 
advantage  over  those  of  other  cities,  not  only  is  there 
a  vastly  larger  population  but  their  needs  have  been 
enormously  increased,  and  likewise  their  purchasing 
power. 

The  area  from  which  the  raw  products  may  be 
drawn  for  the  manufactures  has  likewise  been  extend- 
ed enormously  and  the  factories  are  no  longer  limited 
in  scope  by  the  resources  of  the  immediate  region. 
The  list  of  products  turned  out  has  been  increased 
greatly.  With  large  markets  and  high  purchasing 
power  of  the  people,  large  scale  industries  are  made 


MANUFACTURING  311 

possible,  in  which  all  the  best  of  labor-saving  machinery 
known  to  the  modern  scientific  world  may  be  em- 
ployed. From  a  small  settlement  producing  less  than 
.02  of  one  per  cent  of  the  manufactures  of  the  country, 
Detroit  in  one  hundred  years  has  come  to  be  the  sixth 
city  in  manufactures,  producing  about  1.2  per  cent 
of  the  total  manufactured  products  of  the  United 
States.  «i 


81 .     Manufactures  of  U.  S.  in  1909  were  valued  at  $20,672,052,000 

{Thirteenth  Census,  Manufactures,  572.) 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Factors  in  the  Growth  of  Population  and  Devel- 
opment OF  Manufactures — A  Review 

rpHE  broad  geographic  factors  that  have  been  oper- 
-'-  ative  in  the  growth  of  population  and  the  develop- 
ment of  manufactures  at  Detroit  are  associated  with 
its  position.  It  is  situated  near  the  eastern  edge  of 
the  Central  Plain  of  North  America,  on  the  largest  and 
most  important  series  of  inland  watenv^ays  in  the  world, 
near  the  entrance  to  "the  Gateways"  through  the 
Appalachian  Barrier,  within  easy  reach  of  the  copper 
and  iron  deposits  of  the  Lake  Superior  region  and  the 
coal  of  the  North  Central  States,  on  the  border  of  the 
most  productive  agricultiu-al  district  of  the  United 
States,  and  during  the  early  decades  of  the  nineteenth 
century  had  access  to  large  forests  of  commercial 
timber.  For  many  decades  Detroit  enjoyed  almost  a 
monopoly  of  the  benefits  arising  from  these  important 
factors;  but  with  the  westward  migration  of  popula- 
tion, wealth,  and  manufactures,  many  cities  have 
arisen  to  compete  for  these  benefits.  In  this  competi- 
tion Detroit,  although  not  the  most  successful,  is  to  be 
numbered  among  the  more  successful  cities  of  the 
Lakes  region  in  building  up  manufactures  and  attract- 
ing and  holding  people.  The  elements  in  the  position 
and  environment  of  Detroit  that  have  favored  the 
concentration  of  people  and  manufactures  there  may 
be  summarized  briefly. 


GENERAL  REVIEW  313 

In  selecting  the  site  for  Fort  Pont  eh  art  rain,  the 
nucleus  from  which  Detroit  has  grown,  the  French  had 
two  objects  in  view:  first,  the  checking  of  the  encroach- 
ment of  the  British  and  Iroquois  in  the  trading  terri- 
tory about  the  Upper  Lakes;  and  second,  the  control 
of  the  Wabash  route.  It  is  evident  that  many  sites 
on  the  Detroit  River  could  have  been  chosen  to  fulfill 
these  requirements.  A  post  on  the  site  of  Fort  Maiden 
would  have  commanded  the  commerce  of  the  Detroit 
River  quite  as  well  as  one  at  Detroit,  and  it  would  have 
been  more  effective  in  controlling  the  traffic  of  the 
Maumee-Wabash  route,  being  nearer  the  mouth  of  the 
Maumee  River. 

Deep  water  was  not  needed  for  the  water  traffic  of 
the  French.  Probably  Cadillac  gave  little  or  no  con- 
sideration to  the  depth  of  water  along  the  shores;  at 
least  there  appear  to  be  no  records  of  soundings  having 
been  made  to  determine  the  best  channels.  Fortun- 
ately, however,  for  later  commercial  and  industrial 
development,  the  Cadillac  party  selected  a  site  oppo- 
site a  broad,  deep  channel.  Had  a  site  been  chosen 
on  Grosse  Isle,  or  at  one  of  many  other  points  along 
the  west  shore  of  the  river,  the  shallow  rocky  channel 
would  have  been  a  serious  handicap  at  a  later  period 
when  the  prosperity  of  the  settlement  depended  on 
deep-water  navigation. 

Because  of  the  strategic  importance  of  Detroit,  a 
fort  and  a  garrison  were  maintained  there  until  1827. 
The  presence  of  a  military  force  was  an  important 
factor  in  the  early  growth  of  the  settlement.  Under 
French  rule  the  post  served  to  hold  the  British  and 
Iroquois  in  check  and  w^as  the  stronghold  to  which 


314  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

the  traders  brought  their  furs  and  about  which  the 
settlers  gathered  for  protection.  These  were  the 
"feudal"  days  in  the  history  of  Detroit.  Since  it  was 
the  only  considerable  post  within  a  large  area,  nearly 
all  the  French  settlers  emigrating  to  the  Lakes  region 
settled  at  Detroit.  Under  American  rule,  troops  were 
stationed  at  Detroit  as  long  as  Indian  problems  and 
the  attitude  of  the  British  required.  American  settle- 
ments for  the  first  decade  or  two  were  confined  to  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  Territory  partly  because  of 
the  protection  offered  by  the  fort  at  Detroit  against 
the  Indians. 

For  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  commerce 
was  an  effective  factor  in  the  growth  of  Detroit.  The 
position  of  the  post  near  the  east  entrance  to  the 
Maumee- Wabash  trade-route  gave  it  a  large  share  of 
the  Indian  trade  in  parts  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois. 
Its  location  on  the  Straits  gave  it  a  portion  of  the 
Indian  trade  of  the  Upper  Lakes  and  of  the  region 
west  and  northwest.  The  strategic  and  commercial 
importance  of  the  place  during  the  long  period  between 
its  founding  in  1701  and  the  time  the  American  fron- 
tier reached  southeastern  Michigan,  served  to  concen- 
trate people  at  Detroit  and  make  it  one  of  the  largest 
and  for  most  of  the  period  the  largest  settlement  in 
the  Lakes  region.  As  population  spread  westward  into 
the  Michigan  region  and  beyond,  Detroit,  because  of 
its  size  and  its  position  on  the  eastern  margin  of  the 
developing  area,  on  a  broad  navigable  river  that  con- 
nects with  Lake  Erie,  was  made  the  western  terminus 
of  most  of  the  lines  of  both  sailing  vessels  and  steamers 
engaged  in  the  emigrant  trade.     Thousands  of  cmi- 


GENERAL  REVIEW  315 

grants  on  their  way  to  interior  Michigan  entered  the 
Detroit  gateway;  and  before  steamers  began  to  make 
regular  trips  to  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  many 
hundreds  if  not  thousands  of  emigrants,  whose  destina- 
tion was  Northern  IlHnois  or  Wisconsin,  crossed  the 
"Michigan  bridge,"  entering  the  approaches  at  Detroit 
or  Monroe.  Not  a  few  of  these  people,  attracted  by  the 
prospects  of  Detroit  remained  to  make  it  their  home. 
During  the  era  of  road-building  in  Michigan,  Detroit, 
being  the  largest  city  on  the  eastern  border  toward  the 
best  markets  of  the  country,  was  made  the  center  from 
which  National  and  Territorial  roads  were  built. 
Stage-lines  and  wagon-transportation  lines  were  estab- 
lished along  these  roads  to  various  parts  of  the  State. 
Beginning  about  1840,  lines  of  railways  likewise  were 
constructed  radiating  out  from  Detroit,  in  general 
along  the  main  wagon  roads.  These  roads  and  rail- 
ways gave  Detroit  almost  a  monopoly  of  the  external 
trade  of  the  State,  and  until  the  rise  of  Chicago,  of 
some  of  the  trade  of  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Through 
Detroit  the  grains  and  wool  and  other  products  passed 
eastward.  Manufactured  wares  and  groceries  were 
sent  westward.  For  a  time  Detroit  was  the  eastern 
terminus  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railway  from  Chi- 
cago, the  connection  with  Buffalo  being  made  by 
steamer  during  the  season  of  navigation.  For  many 
decades,  then,  Detroit  was  at  a  break  in  transporta- 
tion on  an  important  east  and  west  traffic  route.  The 
break  in  transportation  at  Detroit  during  this  period 
was  both  mechanical  and  commercial,  to  use  Cooley's 
terminology.^     At  a  break  there  is  necessarily  unload- 

1.    Pub.  Amer.  Econ.  Assoc,  IX,  91,  92. 


31G  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

ing  and  loading  of  the  commodities  from  the  water- 
earner  to  the  land-carrier  and  vice  versa.  This  in- 
volves cartage  and  storage,  labor,  and  capital,  and  indi- 
rectly, agriculturists,  artisans,  and  merchants.  At  a 
commercial  break,  a  break  with  a  change  of  ownership 
of  goods,  there  are  also  involved  wholesale  merchants, 
shippers,  importers,  and  bankers.-  The  importance  of 
the  break  was  made  greater  by  the  lack  of  transporta- 
tion when  navigation  was  closed. 

For  some  thirty  or  forty  years  after  the  Americans 
took  control  of  the  Lakes  region,  Detroit  was  the 
entrepot  for  a  large  part  of  the  thinly  settled  region 
along  the  shores  of  Lakes  Huron,  Michigan,  and  Supe- 
rior. With  the  westward  migration  of  the  people  and 
the  rise  of  cities  like  Chicago  and  Milwaukee,  Detroit 
lost  most  of  the  trade  of  the  Upper  Lakes. 

Being  the  great  center  of  population  on  the  Straits 
with  many  lines  of  railway  to  the  oldest  and  most 
densely  settled  part  of  Michigan  and  to  the  region  to 
the  west,  when  the  Great  Western  Railroad  was  pro- 
jected westward  from  the  Niagara  region  across  Canada, 
Detroit  was  chosen  as  the  western  terminus.  The  line 
ended,  however,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  at  Wind- 
sor, geographically  a  part  of  Detroit.  Three  car- 
ferries  (after  1867)  completed  the  connection.  This 
railway  route  from  Chicago  to  Buffalo  by  way  of 
Detroit  became  a  competitor  with  the  Lake  Shore  and 
Michigan  Southern  Railroad,  which  runs  by  way  of 
Toledo  and  Cleveland.  With  the  constrtiction  of 
through  railway  lines  from  east  to  west,  and  with  the 
spread  of  population  and  the  growth  of  cities  to  the 

2.    Ibid. 


GENERAL  REVIEW  317 

west,  Detroit  declined  in  importance  as  the  western 
terminus  of  Lake  Erie, 

During  the  two  or  three  decades  that  Detroit  and 
Wayne  County  were  so  prominent  in  copper  and  pig 
iron  production,  the  city  was  one  of  the  chief  termini 
for  the  iron-ore  traffic  on  the  lakes.  With  the  develop- 
ment of  the  immense  bulk-cargo  trade  in  iron  and 
coal,  Detroit  became  only  a  way-port.  The  decline  of 
Detroit  as  a  Lake  port  is  only  relative,  however. 
While  other  ports  have  had  their  traffic  increased 
eight  to  ten  fold  since  1889,  that  of  Detroit  has  not 
quite  doubled.  This  relative  decline  in  commerce  un- 
doubtedly has  had  an  influence  on  the  relative  growth 
of  population;  although  any  effects  are  difficult  to 
trace,  because  many  other  factors  have  been  operative 
in  increasing  the  population.  Long  before  Detroit  lost 
its  relative  importance  as  a  commercial  port,  manu- 
facturing had  begun  to  absorb  the  attention  of  capital 
and  labor.  For  the  last  fifty  or  sixty  years  manu- 
facturing has  been  the  important  factor  in  the  growth 
of  population. 

The  growth  in  manufactures  has  kept  pace  with,  and, 
in  some  decades,  exceeded  the  growth  in  population. 
The  early  manufactures  of  Detroit  were  mainly  a  re- 
sponse to  the  abundant  raw  materials  and  to  the 
difficulties  of  access  to  the  eastern  markets  in  which 
manufactured  goods  could  be  purchased.  The  ques- 
tions of  power  and  capital  were  minor  considerations, 
for  the  early  manufactures  were  chiefly  in  the  house- 
hold stage  of  development.  The  improvements  in  the 
means  of  transportation  gave  access  to  a  larger  variety 
and  amotmt  of  raw  material  and  at  the  same  time 


318  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

expanded  the  market.  The  flow  of  capital  to  the 
West  and  the  migration  of  the  labor  city-ward,  which 
is  so  characteristic  of  industrially  developing  regions, 
all  favored  the  growth  of  population  and  the  develop- 
ment of  manufactures. 

All  through  the  early  history  of  manufacturing  at 
Detroit,  the  character  and  variety  of  the  raw  materials 
in  the  near-by  regions  were  important  in  determining 
the  character  and  variety  of  manufactures.  Lumber 
and  wood-working  industries,  tanneries,  woolen  mills, 
hat  factories,  copper  smelters,  and  iron  furnaces  were 
all  developed  as  a  response  to  the  resources  of  the 
forest,  the  farms,  and  the  mines.  During  the  last  few 
decades  the  industries  have  come  to  depend  less  and 
less  on  near-by  sources  for  raw  materials. 

For  many  decades  Detroit  and  the  surrounding 
region  possessed  a  large  store  of  fuel  in  the  forests. 
Charcoal  was  important  in  localizing  copper-smelting 
and  iron  manufactures.  With  the  depletion  of  the 
forests,  coal  became  the  important  factor  in  the  localiza- 
tion of  industries.  Michigan  has  coal  beds  tmder  many 
hundred  square  miles  in  the  central  part  of  the  Southern 
Peninsula,  but  the  beds  are  thin  and  mining  relatively 
expensive.  The  factories  of  Detroit,  therefore,  are  de- 
pendent on  the  Appalachian  fields  for  coal.  It  would 
seem  at  first  thought  that  much  coal  would  come  to 
Detroit  in  Lake  vessels,  but  in  1911  less  than  21,000 
tons  were  brought  by  water.  "^  After  coal  is  loaded  into 
a  vessel  it  can  be  carried  a  thousand  miles  about  as 
cheaply  as  two  hundred;  Detroit,  therefore,  is  forced  to 
pay  nearly  as  much  for  Pennsylvania  and  West  Vir- 

3.     Monthly  Sum.  of  Com.  and  Labor,  Dec,  1911,  956. 


GENERAL  REVIEW  319 

'  ginia  coal  shipped  by  vessel  as  Milwaukee,  Chicago,  or 
Duluth,  and  much  more  than  the  coal-shipping  cities 
of  Lake  Erie.  And  since  railroad  rates  tend  to  equal 
those  by  water  under  competition,  the  manufacturers 
of  Detroit  have  little  advantage  in  the  cost  of  power 
from  coal  over  those  of  Chicago  and  Milwaukee  and 
are  at  a  disadvantage  in  competition  with  the  manu- 
facturers near  the  coal  fields.  Hydro-electric  power 
has  never  been  a  factor  in  the  development  of  manu- 
tures  at  Detroit  and  Httle  can  be  expected  from  it  in 
the  near  future.  Some  advance,  however,  has  been 
made  in  bringing  electric  power  from  Niagara  two 
hundred  miles  across  Canada.  Niaraga  power  is  used 
to  a  Hmited  extent  at  present  in  both  Windsor  and 
Detroit.  If  long-distance  transmission  ever  becomes 
more  highly  developed,  larger  quantities  of  Niagara 
power  may  be  brought  to  the  factories  of  Detroit. 

Since  the  development  of  the  •  steamboat  and  the 
railway  in  the  Lakes  region,  access  to  markets,  per- 
haps one  of  the  most  important  considerations  in  all 
manufactures,  has  been  one  of  the  favorable  factors 
in  the  development  of  manufactures  at  Detroit.  The 
central  location  and  transportation  facilities  of  Detroit 
give  access  to  markets  both  east  and  west.  As  indi- 
cated above, 4  Detroit  during  the  later  decades  has  not 
taken  advantage  of  the  excellent  opportunities  offered 
by  the  Lakes  and  connecting  waterways,  as  outlets  for 
the  products  of  its  factories.  The  receipts  by  water 
are  far  in  excess  of  the  shipments  by  water.  In  1911 
they  stood  1,363,400  net-tons  for  receipts  and  169,900 
net-tons  for  shipments.  The  potential  facilities  in 
4.     Page. 


320  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY   OF    DETROIT 

water  transportation,  no  doubt,  are  influential  in 
lowering  the  freight  rates  by  rail.  The  railways  are 
at  present  the  chief  carriers  of  the  manufactured  prod: 
ucts  of  Detroit. 

The  presence  of  a  large  body  of  skilled  workmen 
never  has  been,  until  recently,  an  important  factor  in 
the  development  of  manufactures  at  Detroit.  Until 
the  rise  of  the  automobile  industry  there  were  few 
trades  there  that  served  to  develop  skill  in  workman- 
ship. Less  than  a  decade  ago  a  company  producing 
computing  machines  in  moving  to  Detroit  was  obHged 
to  bring  skilled  workmen  from  Connecticut.  The  au- 
tomobile industry,  however,  has  been  of  great  value 
in  developing  a  large  body  of  skilled  workmen.  The 
precision  required  in  the  making  of  the  best  cars  is 
equalled  in  only  a  few  other  trades  in  a  few  other 
regions  in  the  country.  The  good  housing  conditions 
at  Detroit,  the  abundant  opportunities  for  recreation, 
and  the  many  home-owners  among  the  workmen,  how- 
ever, have  contributed  to  the  development  of  a  large 
body  of  healthy,  competent,  and  reliable  workmen. 
Such  a  body  of  workmen  undoubtedly  has  been  a 
valuable  asset  in  the  industrial  development  of  the 
city. 

Capital  and  enterprise  also  are  important  factors  in 
the  development  of  manufactures.  The  great  increase 
in  manufactures  in  the  last  decade  is  to  a  large  extent 
a  result  of  the  great  wealth  arising  from  the  pioneer 
enterprises  in  the  automobile  industry.  The  profits 
were  great  and  most  of  the  dividends  were  turned  back 
into  the  industry  or  into  aUied  industries. 

Detroit,  at  least  in  recent  decades,  has  depended 


GENERAL  REVIEW  321 

entirely  on  its  general  advantages  to  attract  industries. 
Bonuses  never  have  been  offered.  One  of  the  recent 
presidents  of  the  Board  of  Commerce  in  one  of  his 
addresses  said,^  "The  most  significant  feature  of  the 
translation  of  manufacturing  plants  to  Detroit  in 
recent  years  is  that  they  have  come  without  any  of 
the  artificial  inducements  that  have  been  employed  by 
many  booming  towns.  The  city  under  its  charter  has 
no  right  to  grant  bonuses  nor  vote  free  water  nor  free 
sites  nor  exemption  from  taxes.  The  Board  of  Com- 
merce has  never  offered  these  inducements  nor  has  it 
taken  the  attitude  of  promoting  stock  subscriptions." 
In  evaluating  the  various  factors,  geographic  and 
others,  that  have  been  operative  in  the  growth  of 
population  and  the  development  of  manufactures  at 
Detroit,  there  seems  to  be  no  one  factor  or  set  of 
factors  to  which  the  growth  can  be  ascribed.  Dif- 
ferent factors  have  been  operative  at  different  periods. 
At  no  one  period  has  Detroit  possessed  decided  ad- 
vantages over  many  other  cities  on  the  shores  of  the 
Lakes.  The  remarkable  growth  indicated  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter  is  by  no  means  characteristic  of  Detroit 
alone.  Perhaps  one  of  the  great  factors  in  the  growth 
of  manufactures  at  Detroit,  as  in  the  other  cities  of 
the  Lakes  region  in  the  last  one  hundred  years,  has 
been  the  westward  migration  of  manufactures,  accom- 
panying the  westward  movement  of  population.  One 
after  another  of  the  natural  resources  has  been  devel- 
oped and  depleted.  One  after  another,  industries  and 
cities  have  arisen  into  prominence.  Many  have  for  a 
time  remained  on  the  crest  in  prominence  and  then 

5.    Kept,  of  Bd.  of  Com.  (1910),  12. 
41 


323  HISTORICAL   GEOGRAPHY    OF   DETROIT 

declined.  Some  few  industries  and  some  few  cities 
have  remained  important  throughout  the  entire  period. 
Detroit,  along  with  a  few  other  cities,  has  had  a  re- 
markable growth  in  population  and  industries.  The 
future  ranking  of  Detroit  is,  of  course,  problematic. 
The  slow  but  continuous  growth,  and  many  factors 
involved  in  its  present  prominence  in  population  and 
industries,  would  seem  to  ensure  it  for  many  decades 
a  prominent  place  among  the  great  cities  of  the  country. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


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Brown,  Samuel  R.  The  Western  Gazetteer  or  Emigrant's  Directory. 
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Bryce,  George  .  The  Remarkable  History  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
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Buckingham,  James  S.  The  Eastern  and  Western  States  of  America. 
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Campbell,  James  Valentine.  Outlines  of  Political  History  of 
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Canadian  Year  Book.     Toronto,  A.  Hewett,  1899  to  date. 

Census  Reports  of  United  States.  Reports  from  1790  to  1910,  in- 
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Chateaubriand,  Francois  Auguste  Rene.  Travels  in  America 
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Charlevoix,  Pierre  Francoix  Xavier  de.  History  and  General 
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Cook,  Charles  W.  "Brines  and  Salt  Deposits  of  Michigan,"  in 
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Commerce  and  Finance,  Monthly  Summary  of.  Bureau  of  Statis- 
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Crogan,  George.  "Crogan's  Journal,"  in  Thwaites,  Early  West- 
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Cox,  Sanford  C.  Recollections  of  Early  Settlement  of  Wabash  Val- 
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Darby,  William.  Emigrant's  Guide  to  the  Western  and  South- 
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cein,  1818. 

A  Tour  frcnn  the  City  of  New  York  to  Detroit  in  Michigan  Terri- 
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Darby,  William  and  Dwight,  T.,  Jr.  A  New  Gazetteer  of  the 
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Davison,  Gideon  M.  Traveller's  Guide  through  the  Middle  and 
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Springs,  1837. 

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Detroit  Merchants,  Day  Books,  Ledgers,  etc.,  of.  Manuscripts  in 
Detroit  Public  Library.     A  few  only  are  here  listed: 

(a)  1775  to "  Petty"  Ledger.     The  sales  entered  show  that 

a  general  stock  of  goods  w^as  kept  and  that  rum  was  in  much 
demand.  The  homes  of  purchasers  were  designated  as  "up  the 
river,"  "across  the  river,"  "do\m  the  river,"  on  "Hog  Island," 
etc. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  327 

(b)  1776  to  1778.  Macomb,  Edgar,  and  Macomb.  Day  Book 
and  Ledger. 

(c)  1778  to  1780.  T.  B.  Barth  and  Co.  "Accounts  with 
Traders  of  the  Upper  Country."     June  19,  1778  to  1780. 

(d)  1781  to  1783.     Alexander  Macomb.     Day  Book. 

(e)  1783  to  1785.  James  May  and  Company.  Day  Book. 
This  manuscript  includes  the  "Adventurer's  Journal,"  a  record 
of  transactions  at  the  store  known  as  "The  Pinery." 

(f)  1798  to  1803.    .     Day  Book. 

Father  Richardie's  name  appears  among  the  purchasers.  A  gen- 
eral stock  of  goods  was  kept  but  large  quantities  of  gin,  brandy, 
rum,  and  whiskey  were  kept. 

Detroit  Newspapers.     The  following  is  a  partial  list  only: 

Detroit  Gazette  (W).     1817  to  1830. 

Detroit  Ccurier  (W).     December  22  1831  to  January  14,  1835. 

Detroit  Daily  Free  Press.     September  28,  1835  to  date. 

Issue  not  consecutive. 

Detroit  Daily  Advertiser.     January  11,  1836  to  December  30, 

1862. 

Detroit  Weekly  Advertiser.     September  11,  1839  to  August  23, 

1845. 

Detroit  Daily  Tribune.     November  19,  1849  to  date. 

Detroit  Advertiser  and  Tribune.  (D).  January  2,  1863  to  Decem- 
ber 31,  1877. 

Detroit  Post  and  Tribune  (D).     October,  1877  to  June,  1884. 

Detroit  Evening  Nevus.     1873  to  1905.     Published  as  Detroit 

Nevus  from  1905  to  date. 

Detroit  Journal.     1884  to  date. 
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Board  of  Commerce,  September  1910  to  August  1912. 
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and  railroad  routes  from  Albany  to  Troy  to  Buffalo  and  Niagara 

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Distumell,  1844. 

Upper  Lakes  of  North  America,  being  a  guide  from  Niagara  Falls 
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(See  also  New  York  Historical  Society  Collections.) 
Documentary  History  of  New  York.     Arranged  by  E.  B.  O'Cal- 


328  HISTORICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    DETROIT 

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1849  to  1851. 
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Indian  Wars  of  the  West.     Cincinnati,  E.  H.  Flint,  1833. 
Geologic  Map  of  North  America.     U.  S.  G.  S.,  Prof.  Paper  71. 
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Geol.  Series  7,  Mich.  Geol.  Sur^^,  1912. 

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Notes  on  the  Western  States.     Philadelphia,  H.  Hall,  1838. 

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Romance  of  Western  History.     Cincinnati,  Applegate  and  Co., 
1857. 

H A M I LT o N ,  Thomas.     Men  and  Manners  in  A m erica .     E dinbur gh , 
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Sketches  of  an  A  mertcan  Tour.    New  York,  R.  Worthington ,  188 1 . 

Harmon,  Daniel  William.  A  Journal  of  Voyages  and  Travels  in 
the  Interior  of  \orth  America.  New  York,  A.  S.  Barnes  and  Co., 
1903.     First  pub.  in  1820. 

Harns,  Thaddeus  Mason.  Journal  of  a  Tour  into  the  Territory 
Northwest  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains  (1803).  Boston,  Manning 
and  Loring,  1805.  Reprint  from  Boston  Ed.  in  Thwaitcs, 
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Harris,  William  Tell.  Remarks  made  during  a  Tour  through  the 
United  States  of  America  in  the  Years  1817,  1818,  1819.  Liver- 
pool, 1819. 

Hatch,  W.  S.  History  of  War  of  1812  in  the  Northwest.  Cincin- 
nati, 1872. 

Hennepin,  Father  Louis.  A  New  Discovery  of  a  Vast  Country  in 
America.     (See  Thwaites.) 

Henry,  Alexander  (the  younger),  and  Thompson,  David.  New 
Light  on  the  Early  History  of  the  Greater  Northwest.  The  manu- 
script Journals  of  Alexander  Henry  (the  vounger),  and  David 
Thompson,  1799  to  1814.  Edited  bv  Elliott  Cours.  New 
York,  F.  P.  Harper,  1897. 

Henry,  Alexander.  Travels  and  Adventures  in  Canada  and  the 
Indian  Territory,  1760-1776.  New  York,  1809.  A  late  edition 
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INDEX 


INDEX 


Agriculture,  in  Detroit  region  in 
1788,  121;  in  1812,  133 

Albany,  founding  of,  27;  commodi- 
ties shipped  from,  27;  favorable 
location  of  for  fur  trade,  27;  area 
tributary  to,  28,  36 

Albach,  Annals  of  the  West,  323 

Alleghany,  trans-explorations  of,  323 
(Alvord  and  Bidgood) 

Alleghany  Mountains,  tour  north- 
west of,  330  (Hams) 

Allouez,  Claude,  on  Lake  Superior, 
29;  founded  LaPointe  de  Esprit, 
29 

Alvord  and  Bidgood,  see  trans- Alle- 
ghany explorations 

America,  narrative  and  critical  his- 
tory of,  337  (Winsor);  new  dis- 
covery of  vast  territory  in,  330 
(Hennepin) ;  travels  in,  and  Italy, 
325  (Chateaubriand) 

Americans  assume  control,  128 

American  Antiquarian  and  Oriental 
Journal,  323 

American  Antiquarian  Society,  Pro- 
ceedings of,  323 

American  Economic  Association, 
Publications  of,  323 

American  Fur  Company,  140,  182 

American  Historical  Association, 
Annual  Reports,  323 

American  Historical  Review,  323 

American  People,  history  of,  337 
(Wilson) 

American  State  Papers,  323 

Amherstburg  and  Sandwich  com- 
pete with  Detroit,  130 

Anderson,  David,  Canada:  A  view 
of  British  American  Colonies,  323 


Andrews,  Israel  D.,  Trade  and  Com- 
merce of  British  Colonies  in  Amer- 
ica, 323 

Aymals  of  the  West,  323  (Albach) 

Antiquarian,  American,  323 

Area  of  Detroit  at  various  decades, 
170 

Armroyd,  George,  Interior  Naviga- 
tion of  United  States,  323 

Ashe,  Thomas,  Travels  in  North 
America,  323 

Astor,  John  Jacob,  founds  American 
Fur  Company,  140 

Atlas  of  Canada,  323 

Atwater,  Caleb,  History  of  State  of 
Ohio,  323 

Automobile  industry,  303-306 

Baldwin,  C.  C,  Indian  Migrations 
171  America,  323 

Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  262 

Bars  at  mouths  of  rivers,  232 

Batteaux,  207;  Cadillac  used,  208; 
on  Lake  Erie,  208 

Bed  rock  of  Great  Lakes  region,  5; 
influence  on  topography  of  Lakes, 
5-8;  map  of,  34;  relation  to  origin 
and  location,  and  shape  of  Lakes, 
6 

Bemis,  Edward  Webster,  Local 
Government  in  Michigan  and  the 
Northwest,  324 

Benton,  Elbert  Jay,  The  Wabash 
Trade  Route,  324 

Benton,  Thomas  Hart,  Abridgment 

of    Speeches  in  Congress,  324 
Bessemer  steel,  made  at  Wyandotte, 

299-230 
Beste,  John  R.  D.,  The  Wabash,  324 


342 


INDEX 


Black  Hawk  War,  effects  on  emi- 
gration, 177 

Black  Swamp,  254 

Blanchard,  Rufus,  Descripliou  and 
Conquest  of  Northwest,  324 

Blowc,  Daniel,  A  Geographical,  His- 
torical, Commercial,  and  Agricul- 
tural Vieu'  of  U.  S.,  324;  quoted, 
144,  147,  175,  143,  171 

Blois,  John  T.,  Gazetteer  of  Michi- 
gan, 324 

Blue  Book  of  American  Shipping, 
324 

Bogart,  Ernest,  Economic  History  of 
U.  S.,  324 

Boishebert,    appointed    comman- 
dant, 69 

Bourinot,  John  George,  Canada 
under  British  Rule,  324 

Bonnecamp  favors  settlement,  61 

Boom  period  at  Detroit,  185;  in 
Michigan,  185 

Boulder  belt  in  Detroit  region,  156 

Boundary  proposals  of  Montreal 
Merchants,  112-114;  map,  115 

Bradbury,  John,  Travels  in  Interior 
of  America,  324 

Bremer,  Fredrika,  The  Homes  of  the 
New  World,  324 

Breton  and  Normandy  fishermen  to 
Banks,  21,  15 

Bridgman,  see  Ensign,  Bridgman, 
and  Fanning 

British  claims  in  N.  A.,  basis  of,  20 

British  Colonics  in  N.  A.,  trade  and 
commerce  of,  with  U.  S.,  323 
(Andrews) 

British  desire  to  keep  posts,  91; 
retain  posts,  192;  displace  Dutch 
in  New  Netherlands,  28 

British  traders,  advantage  of,  over 
Americans,  104-105 

Brodhead,  John  R.,  History  of  State 
of  New  York,  324 


Brown,  Samuel,  The  Western  Gazet- 
teer, 325 

Bryce,  George,  Remarkable  History 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  325 

Buckingham,  James  S.,  The  Eastern 
and  Western  States  of  America, 
325 

Burnet,  Jacob,  Notes  on  Early  Settle- 
ment of  Northwest  Territory,  325 

Burpee,  Lawrence  J.,  The  Search  for 
the  Westerti  Sea,  325 

Burton,  Clarence,  list  of  various 
articles  and  books  on  Detroit, 
325;  describes  Detroit  in  1710, 
62 ;  quotes  from  Paris  Documents, 
52;  quotes  Cadillac,  57;  discusses 
the  Company  of  the  Colony  of 
Canada,  57 

Butterick's  Voyages,  325 

Cadillac,  considers  building  post, 
47;  gives  reasons  for  building,  49; 
given  power  to  build,  50;  ordered 
to  Louisiana,  61;  sketch  of  life  of, 
325  (Burton);  reaches  site  of 
Detroit,  52 

Cahokia,  settlement  at,  80 

Campbell,  James  V.,  Outlines  of 
Political  History  of  Michigan,  325 

Canada,  Atlas  of,  323;  a  inew  of 
British  American  Colonists,  323 
(Anderson);  History  of,  331 
(Kingsford);  improvements  made 
by,  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  see  St. 
Lawrence;  Navigation,  Railways, 
and  Steamboat  Lines,  325;  travels 
and  adventures  in,  330  (Henry); 
under  British  rule,  324  (Bourinot) 

Canadian  Year  Book,  325 

Canals  and  Railways  of  U.  S.,  a  brief 
description  of,  335  (Tanner) 

Canals  from  Lakes  to  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  rivers,  251 

Canoe,  birch  bark,  205;  cost  of 
transportation  by,  206  (n.  206) 


INDEX 


343 


Captivity  of  John  Dodge,  narrative 
of,  328  (Dodge) 

Car-ferry,  275 

Carrying  agents,  sec  Great  Lakes, 
Shipping,  etc 

Cartier  in  estuary  of  St.  Lawrence, 
21 

Cascade  Point,  canal  at,  236 

Census  Reports,  325;  figures  on 
manufactures,  281,  283;  figures 
on  population,  170,  196;  figures 
for  1763-1796,  unreliable,  98;  of 
Detroit  for  1773,  96;  for  1779,  100 

Central  Railroad  of  Michigan,  264- 
268 

Channels  across  Mississippi-St. 
Lawrence  divide,  influence  of,  10; 
position  of  Detroit  with  respect 
to,  11 

Chartres,  Fort,  settlement  at,  80 

Chateaubriand,  Francois,  A.  R., 
Travels  in  America  and  Italy,  325 

Charlevoix,  Pierre  Francois  X., 
History  and  General  Description 
of  New  France,  325 

Cheap  goods,  Charlevoix  quoted  on, 
36;  influence  of  in  winning  Indian 
trade,  36;  reasons  why  British 
could  offer,  37 

Chicago,  boat  line  to,  from  New 
Buffalo,  270;  treaty  of,  171;  re- 
duces jobbing  trade  of  Detroit, 
see  Jobbing  center;  portage,  see 
Portage 

Chippewa  Portage  Company,  builds 
tramway  at  "Soo,"  250 

City,  report  on  conference  for  good 
city  government,  325;  of  Straits, 
sketches  and  reminiscences  of,  334 
(Roberts) ;  planning  at  Detroit, 
198;  growth  of  in  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, 337  (Weber) 
Clark,  George  Rogers,  How  George 
Rogers  Clark  Won  the  Northwest, 


336  (Thwaites);  prevented  from 
attacking  Detroit,  98 ;  takes  forts 
in  Illinois  Country,  98 
Clinton  River,  bars  at  mouth,  160; 
drowned  at  mouth,  159;  govern- 
ment improvement  of,  160;  navig- 
able near  mouth,  106;  settlement 
on,    149;    used    by    British    for 
harbor,  160;  water  power  on,  159 
Coal,  source  of,  at  Detroit,  318 
Cod     fisheries,     discovery     of     on 

Grand  Banks,  21 
Colden,     discusses     portages,     10; 
favors  prohibiting  settlers  from 
trading  with  Indians,  95;  favors 
sending  settlers  to  Detroit,  95 
Colleges  and  seminaries  at  Detroit, 

183 
Colonies,  American  and  British,  331 

(Kingdom) 
Colton,  G.  W.  and  C.  B.,  Map  of 
Michigan,   325;    Western   Tourist 
and  Emigrants  Guide,  325;  map 
copied  from,  see  Maps 
Coman,  Katherine,  Industrial  His- 
tory of  U.  S.,  326 
Commerce,      lake,    324    (Barton); 
Statistics  of,  336  (Tunnell);  with 
Montreal,    75;   and    Navigation, 
American  State  Papers,   323;  of 
Detroit,  1796,  126;  eras  of  lake, 
204,  and  Finance,  Monthly  Sum- 
mary of,  326 
Congress   grants   military    reserve, 

178 
Congressional  Globe,  326 
Cook,  Charles  W.,  Brines  and  Salt 

Deposits  of  Michigan,  326 
Cooley,  Thomas  Mclntyre,  Michi- 
gan,   a   History   of  Governments, 
326;  quoted  on  banks,  187 
Copper  smelting,  293,  296 
Corn,  grown  in  Detroit  region,  62 
Coteau  de  Lac,  canal  at,  235 


344 


INDEX 


Cox,    Sanford    C,    Recollections   of 
Early  Settlement  of  Wabash   Val- 
ley, 236 
Croghan's  Journal,  326 
Cutchcon,  Byron  M.,  sec  Utlcy 
Dana.  C.  W.,  The  Great  West,  326 
Darby,  William,  Emigrants  Guide, 
326;    A    New   Gazetteer,    326;    A 
Tour  from  the  City  of  New  York 
to  Detroit,  326;  breaks  down  pre- 
judices   against    Michigan,    143, 
171;   describes   Detroit   in    1818, 
144 
Davison,    Gideon    M.,     Traveller's 

Guide,  326 
Dawson,  S.  E.,  North  America,  326 
Day  books,  ledgers,  etc.,  of  Detroit 

Merchants,  326 
DeBow,  James  D.  B.,  Review,  326 
Defebaugh,  James  Elliot,  History  of 
Lumber  Industry  in  America,  326 
Defiance  Moraine,  152;    elevations 
of,  152;  effect  on  railroad  routes, 
152 
Diplomacy,  American,  great  success 

of,  101 
De  la  Forest  at  Detroit,  67 
Detroit,  Hennepin  descril^es  region 
(1679),  46;  description  of  region 
on  map  (about  1690),  48;  De 
Aigrcmont  describes  (1710),  61; 
Burton  describes  (1710),  62; 
Galissonierc  describes  settlement 
(1750),  78;  in  1764,  80;  in  1788, 
120;  Quakers  describe  (1793), 
121;  described  in  Scott's  Gazetteer 
( 1 797) ,  1 25 ;  Weld  describes  settle- 
ment (1796),  126;  in  1818,  144- 
145;  described  in  1830,  178;  in 
1910,  197-202;  in  history  and 
commerce,  Hi  (Mitchell);  Board 
of  Commerce  Report,  326;  De- 
troit Courier  quoted,  177;  Direc- 
tory of,  332  (MacCabe);  do.,  337 


(Weeks);  Detroit  Evening  News, 
see  Newspapers;  Detroit  Journal, 
see  Newspapers;  Manual  of  City 
of,  326;  Merchants  Day  books, 
etc.,  see  Day  books;  Detroit 
Newspapers,  list  of,  327;  Rept.  of 
Board  of  Water  Commissioners, 
326 

Detroit  region,  land  grants  in, 
1763-1796,  123-125;  for  descrip- 
tions, see  Detroit 

Detroit  River,  map  of,  see  Maps; 
location  of  navigable  channel  at 
mouth,  133 

Detroit  United  Railway,  277 

Detroiter,  The,  327 

Devonian  Rocks,  see  Bed  Rock 

Diagram  of  receipts  and  shipments 
at  principal  lake  ports,  229 

Differential  uplift  in  Lakes  region, 
effects  of,  160 

Discoveries,  geographic  in  interior, 
337  (Winsor) 

Disturncll,  J.,  The  Western  Traveller, 
327 

Divide  between  Mississippi  and  St. 
Lawrence  basins,  9 

Dodge,  J.,  Narrative  of,  during  his 
captivity  at  Detroit,  328 

Dolomite  limestone  quarried,  167 

Dongan,  governor  of  New  York, 
quoted  on  first  expedition  to 
Upper  Lakes,  30;  asks  for  post  at 
Niagara,  42 

Douglas,  James,  Old  France  in  the 
New  World,  328 

Drainage  of  Detroit  region,  156 

Drowning  of  rivers  in  southeastern 
Michigan,   159 

Dundee  limestone  quarried,  167 

Dunn  J.  P.,  French  Settlements  on 
Wabash,  328 

Durham  boat,  208 


INDEX 


345 


Dutch  build  posts  on  Hudson  River, 
27 

Economic  development  of  the  fron- 
tier, stages  in,  280 

Electric  power  used  at  Detroit,  319 

Electric  railways,  miles  of,  201 

Ely,  Richard,  The  Coming  City,  328 

Emigrant'' s  Directory,  324  (Blowe) 

Emigrant' s  Guide,  325  (Colton) ;  do., 
326  (Darby);  do.,  330  (Holditch) 

Emigration,  to  Detroit  Jn  1706,  54; 
in  1707,  1708,  1709,  55;  in  1750, 
79;  promoted  in  1748,  77;  from 
France  in  1749,  78;  to  Detroit 
1800-1810,  141-143;  slow  before 
1818,  131;  to  Detroit  in  1833,  177; 
in  1844,  178;  by  land  through 
Canada,  177;  steamboats  aid, 
176;  to  Southeastern  Michigan, 
131 

English,  in  Ohio  region,  76;  stirred 
French  to  encourage  emigration 
to  Detroit,  77 

English,  Willion  Hayden,  Conquest 
of  Country  Northwest  of  the  Ohio, 
328 

Ensign,  Bridgman,  and  Fanning, 
Lake  and  River  Guide,  328 

Erie  Canal,  building  of,  245;  Flint 
quoted  on,  245 ;  Darby  quoted  on, 
246;  influence  of,  173,  176,  246, 
285 

Erie  and  Kalamazoo  Railroad,  264- 
265 

Erie,  Lake,  improvements  on,  233; 
navigation  on,  232,  harbors  on, 
232;  vessels  built  on,  216,  218 
Estuary  of  St.  Lawrence  River, 
broad,  led  explorers  to  consider  a 
strait,  22 
Evans,  Pedestrious  Tour,  etc.,  328; 
breaks  down  prejudices  concern- 
ing Michigan,  143,  144;  describes 
Detroit,  143 


Events  leading  to  founding  of  De- 
troit, 120-145 

Factories,  location  of,  200;  list  of  in 
1837,  182;  effect  of  lack  of  skilled 
workers  in,  320;  lack  of  workers, 
291 

Fairlie,  John  A.,  Economic  Effect  of 
Canals,  328 

Fanning,  Illustrated  Gazetteer  of  U. 
S.,  328 

Farmers  at  Detroit  settlement  lazy, 
60;  not  encouraged,  57-58;  raise 
corn,  62;  raise  wheat,  71;  Indian, 
68;  encouraged,  70,  78;  char- 
acteristics of  French,  83,  121;  to 
be  prohibited  from  trading,  95; 
engaged  in  trade,  126;  to  be 
encouraged  to  come,  95;  con- 
cessions granted  to,  70 

Farms,  shape  of,  82 

Farmers'  Bulletin,  No.  20,  328 

Farmer,  Silas,  Map  and  Manual  of 
Detroit,  328;  History  of  Detroit, 
328;  map  showed  true  conditions 
in  Michigan,   143 

Faust,  Albert  B.,  The  German  Ele- 
ment in  U.  S.,  328 

Ferris,  Ezra,  The  Early  Settlements 
of  the  Miami  Country,  328 

Ferris,  Jacob,  The  States  and  Terri- 
tories of  the  Great  West,  328; 
describes  farmers,  83 

Ferry  at  Detroit,  183 

Feudal  system  at  Detroit,  55 

Fire  of  1805,  130;  protection  from, 
179 

Fire  Department,  established,  180 

Fisher,  Swaison  R.,  New  and  Com- 
plete Gazetteer  of  U.  S.,  328 

Flint,  Henry  M.,  Railroads  of  U.  S., 
328 

Flint,  James,  Letters  from  America, 
328 

Flint,    Timothy,    The   History   and 


346 


INDEX 


Geography  of  the  Mississippi  Val- 
ley, 328;  A  Condensed  History  and 
Geography  of  the  Western  States, 
328 

Flour,  center  of  milling  at  Detroit, 
180;  shipped,  180;  milling,  288, 
300 

Forests,  of  Great  Lakes  region,  1 1 ; 
after  fifty  years  of  French  occupa- 
tion, 81;  locates  iron  industry', 
290;  obstructions  to  agriculture, 
151;  use  of  in  Detroit  region,  151 

Fort  at  Detroit,  value  of,  149 

France  in  America,  336  (Thwaites) 

French  and  Indian  War,  a  trade 
war,  36 

French,  claims  in  America,  basis  of, 
20,  29-30;  in  estuary  of  St.  Law- 
rence, 20;  settlements  on  Wa- 
bash, etc.,  see  Settlements 

Frontier,  American,  harassed  from 
Detroit,  97,  106,  117;  map  of, 
175;  in  1820,  174;  in  1830;  175 

Frontier  character  of  Detroit  in 
1818,  146 

Frontenac,  Fort,  building  of  and 
efTccts,  30 

Fruit,  Detroit  noted  for,  78 

Fur  trade,  Americans  anxious  to 
control,  106;  basis  of  rivalry,  33; 
control  of,  106;  decline  of,  180, 
182;  English  sought  in  Upper 
Lakes,  33;  history  of  at  Detroit, 
108-111;  in  1740,  72;  in  1783, 
103;  influence  of  on  interior  ex- 
ploration, 32;  influence  and  char- 
acter of  in  Wisconsin,  336  (Tur- 
ner); of  Lakes  Region,  12;  easily 
exploited,  12;  value  of  at  Detroit, 
in  1780,  108 

Fox  Indians,  attack  Detroit,  64-65; 
control  Fox-Wisconsin  portage, 
64 

Fox-Wisconsin  portage,  sec  For- 
age 


Galissoni^re,  describes  Detroit  re- 
gion, 78 

Garrison  supported  by  comman- 
dant, 66 

"Gateways"  across  Appalachian 
Highlands,  4,  312;  British  and 
French  at  entrance  to,  28 

Gazetteers,  Brown's,  325;  Colton's, 
325;  Darby's,  326;  Haskell  and 
Smith,  329;  Fisher,  328;  Scott's, 
335;  Worcester's  337  . 

Gejiesee  region,  172;  road,  244;  map 
of,  257 

Geography,  local,  of  Detroit  region, 
151;  of  Great  Central  Plain,  2-4; 
of  Great  Lakes  region,  4-19 

Geographic  setting  of  Detroit,  1-19 

Geologic  map  of  Michigan  (Nellist 
map),  329;  of  North  America, 
329;  of  Great  Lakes  region,  34 

Geology  of  Lakes  region,  see  Bed 
rock 

Gilman,  Chandler  R.,  Life  on  the 
Lakes,  329 

Glaciation  in  Great  Lakes  region,  8 

Glacial  clays,  fiowage  of,  153;  roads 
in,  155;  used  for  brick,  154; 
water  supply  in,  153 

Glacial  deposits,  8;  features  in 
southern  Michigan,  152 

Government     improvements,     on 
rivers  in  Detroit  region,  160;  on 
Lakes,   231-234,   247-252;  Cana- 
dian, along  St.  Lawrence  and  at 
Sault  Ste.  Marie,  234-239 

Great  Britain  and  North  America, 
agriculture,  population,  trade,  and 
manufactures,  iii  (Mitchell) 

Great  Central  Plain,  geography  of,  I 

Great  Lakes,  history  of  develop- 
ment of  navigation  on,  203-230; 
history  of  improvements  on,  231- 
252;  outline  history  of,  332  (Lev- 
erett);  Report  of  Commissioner  of 
Navigation,    329;    Transportation 


INDEX 


347 


hy    Water,    Census    Report,    329; 

miles  of  navigation  on,  5 

Great  Lakes  region,  bed  rock  of,  5; 

early  map  of,  48;  forests  of,  11; 

fur  trade  of,  12;  geography  of,  4; 

Indians  of,   13;  resources  of,  4; 

Robertson  describes,  103 

"Great  Railroad  Route;"  the,  267 

Great  West,  the,  historical  collection 

of,  330  (Howe) 
Great  Western  Railroad,  274 
Griffin  built,  210 
Grist  mills  at  Detroit  in  1764,  83; 

see  Flour 
Guide     Book,     Canadian    Geologic 
Survey,  329;  lake  and  river,  329 
(Bridgman);  lake  and  river,  329 
(Ensign,    Bridgman,    and    Fan- 
ning) 
Haldimand,    suggests   sending   set- 
tlers, 101 
Hall,  Basil,  Travels  in  N.  A.,  329 
Hall,  James,  Letters  from  the  West, 

329;  The  West,  329 
Hamilton,  Thomas,  Men  and  Man- 
ners in  America,  329 
Harbors,  of  Lakes,  better  on  Ameri- 
can side  than  Canadian,  105;  of 
Lake  Erie  described,  232 
Hardy,  Mary  Duffis,  Through  Cities 

and  Prairie  Lands,  329 
Harmon,  Daniel  William,  A  Journal 
of    Voyages   and    Travels  in   In- 
terior, 330 
Harris,   Thaddeus   M.,   Journal   of 
Tour  into   Territory  Northwest  of 
Allegheny  Motmtains,  330 
Harris,  William  Tell,  Remarks  Made 

During  Tour,  etc.,  330 
Haskell    and    Smith,    Gazetteer    of 

U.  S.,  330 
Hatch,  W.   S.,  History  of  War  of 

1812,  330 
Henry,  Alexander,  Travels  in  Amer- 


ica,  330;  discusses  fur  trade  of 
Lakes  region,  108-109 
Hennepin,  Father  Louis,  a  new  dis- 
covery, etc.,  330  (Thwaites);  de- 
scribes Detroit  region,  46 
Highways,  Historic,  330  (Hulbert) 
Hinsdale,    Burke   Aaron,    The   Old 

Northwest,  330 
Historical   setting   of   founding   of 

Detroit,  20-45 
Hodgson,  Adam,  Letters  from  North 

America,  etc.,  330 
Holditch,  Robert,  Emigrant's  Guide, 

330 
Home  life  of  French  at  Detroit,  52 
Hopkins,  Cyril  G.,  Soil  Fertility  and 

Permanent  Agriculture,  330 
Horses  at  Detroit,  54 
Hoskins,    Nathan,    Notes   upon   the 

Western  Country,  330 
Houses  described,  in  1764,  82 
Housing  conditions,  effect  of,  320 
Howe,    Henry,    Historical    Collec- 
tions, 330 
Hubbard,  Bela,  Memorials  of  a  Half 
Century  in   Michigan   and   Lake 
Region,  331;  describes  river  men, 
209 
Hudson  Bay,  exploration  of,  24 
Hudson    Bay    Company,    granted 
charter,  24 ;  competes  with  North 
West  Company,  109;  Remarkable 
history  of,  325  (Bryce) 
Hudson  River,   exploration   along, 
22;  tidal  waters  led  Hudson  to 
think  a  strait,  23 
Hulbert,    Archer    Butler,    Historic 

Highways,  331 
Hull,  Governor,  secures  land  from 
Congress  for  fire  sufferers,  130; 
journey  to  Detroit  with  family, 
134;  asked  for  reinforcements, 
135;  sends  vessel  to  Detroit,  136; 
surrenders  Detroit,  136 


348 


INDEX 


Hunt,  Freeman,  MercJianls'  Maga- 
zine and  Commercial  Review,  331 

Huron,  Lake,  improvements  on, 
233 

Huron  mission,  account  books  of, 
334  (Portier) 

Huron  River,  navigable  near  mouth, 
106;  power  development  on,  159; 
drowned,  159;  flow  regulated  by 
lakes,  159;  navigated  to  Ypsi- 
lanti,  160 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society, 
Journal,  331 

Illinois  settlements,  life  in,  similar 
to  Detroit,  84 

Incorjioration  of  Detroit,  131 

Indians,  American,  335  (School- 
craft); at  Detroit  in  1830,  178;  of 
Great  Lakes  region,  13-19;  Hand- 
book of,  331;  Aflfairs,  American 
State  Papers,  323;  goods,  see 
Cheap  goods;  oppose  ceding 
lands  to  Americans,  118;  treaties, 
ceding  lands,  118 

Industrial  History  of  U.  S.,  325 
(Coman) 

Industries,  in  1764,  83;  of  Detroit, 
332  (Leonard) 

Ingenuity  of  American  people,  286 

Interlobate  moraine,  location,  152; 
topography  of,  152 

Interior,  of  Michigan  penetrated, 
148;  of  North  America,  Travels 
in,  324  (Bradbury);  of  North 
America,  concise  account  of,  334 
(Rogers);  of  North  America,  voy- 
ages and  travels,  330(Harmon) 

Internal  improvements,  a  mania, 
262-265;  beginning  of  era  of,  181, 
294;  compendium  of,  in  U.  S., 
m  (Mitchell);  Sketch  of  rise  and 
progress,  334  (Poor);  list  of  in 
Michigan,  264 

Interurban   railways,    centering   at 


Detroit,  276;  date  of  construc- 
tion, 277 

Iron  industry,  290,  298-300 

Iroquois,  influence  of,  on  movement 
of  fur  traders,  31 

Islands,  as  place  of  refuge  for  ves- 
sels, 105;  origin  of  in  relation  to 
bed  rock,  7 ;  value  to  early  navi- 
gators, 7 

Isolation  of  Detroit,  1812,  132; 
shown  by  journey  of  Hull's 
family,  134 

James,  James  A.,  George  Rogers 
Clark  and  Detroit,  331 

Jay's  Treaty,  101 

Jenks,  Albert  Ernest,  The  "Wild 
Rice"  Indians,  331 

Jesuit  Relations  and  Allied  Docu- 
ments, 331;  oppose  settlement  at 
Detroit,  56  (n.  56) 

Jobbing  center,  184;  loss  of  im- 
portance as,  184 

Joliet,  on  Lake  Erie,  203;  and  Mar- 
quette, voyage  of,  29 

Jones,  David,  A  Journal  of  Visits, 
etc.,  331 

Kaskaskia,  settlers,  80 

Kingdom,  William  J.,  American  and 
British  Colonies,  331 

Kingsford,  William,  History  of 
Canada,  331 

Knapp,  Horace  S.,  History  of  Mau- 
mee   Valley,  331 

La  Chine,  canal  at,  236;  rapids,  6 

Lacustrine  plains,  origin  of,  9 

Lahontan,  Baron,  new  voyages,  336 
(Thwaites) 

Lake,  basins,  relation  to  bed  rock, 
6;  clays,  use  of,  166;  ridges,  origin 
of,  8 

Lakes,  Great,  ports,  evacuated  by 
British,  116;  Montreal  mer- 
chants ask  to  have  retained,  102; 
reasons    for    retention,    103;    re- 


INDEX 


349 


fuse  to  deliver  to  Americans,  102 

Lakes,  the  early  days  on,  336  (Wal- 
ker) 

Lakes  to  Gulf  Waterway,  251 

Land,  cultivated  in  1710,  55;  grants 
to  settlers,  54;  character  of  grants 
70;  grants  during  1763-1796,  123; 
laws,  effect  of  change  of,  171; 
speculation,  185;  effects  of  specu- 
lation, 186;  Detroit  center  of 
speculation  in,   186 

Land  Office,  opened  at  Detroit,  143; 
at  Kalamazoo,  Flint,  and  Ionia, 
154;  sales  in  1825,  176;  in  1831, 
177;  in  one  day,  177;  at  Monroe, 
177 

Lanman,  Charles,  The  Red  Book  of 
Michigan,  331 

La  Salle  in  Lakes  region,  29-30 

Latrobe,  Charles,  The  Rambler  in 
N.  A.,  331 

Latrobe,  John,  The  First  Steamboat 
Voyage  on  Western  Waters,  331 

Laurentian  Highlands,  5 

Lee,  Guy  Carlton,  A  History  of 
North  America,  331 

Lees,  John,  Journal  of  John  Lees, 
Quebec  Merchant,  331 

Leonard,  J.  W.,  Industries  of  De- 
troit, 332 

Leverett,  Frank,  Outline  History  of 
Great  Lakes,  332;  Surface  Geology 
and  Agricultural  Conditions  in 
Michigan,  332 

Liancourt,  Travels  through  U.  S.  of 
North  America,  332 

Life,  early,  at  Detroit,  84 

Limestones,  quarried,  168;  burned, 
82;  use  of,   168 

Ludley  gives  reasons  for  slow  growth 
of  Detroit,  122 

Lines  of  movement  of  population, 
188 

Livestock,  see  Cattle,  Horses,  etc. 

Livingstone,  asks  for  post,  44,  45 


Long,  John,  Journal,  332 

Lucas,  Robert,  Journal  of  War  of 
1812,  332 

Lumber  industry,  289-290,  296-308; 
History  of,  326  (Defebaugh) 

MacCabe,  Directory  of  Detroit,  332 

McCarty,  D wight.  Territorial  Gov- 
ernors, etc.,  332 

McCracken,  Stephen  B.,  The  State  of 
Michigan,  332 

Mackenzie,  Alexander,  Voyages 
through  the  Continent  of  N.  A., 
332 

McKenny,  Thomas  L.,  Sketches  of  a 
Tour  of  the  Lakes,  332 

McLaughlin,  Andrew  C,  The  West- 
ern Posts  and  British  Debts,  332 

MacNeff  gives  reason  for  slow 
growth  of  Detroit,  122,  125 

Macomb,  Wm.,  purchases  Grosse 
and  Stoney  islands,  123 

Maiden,  isolation  of,  137;  stock  of 
provisions  low  at,  137 

Manufactures,  condition  for  in 
early  period,  28;  development  of, 
279-311;  discussion  of,  280-281, 
282,  286-291,  291-295,  295-301, 
301-302,  302-311;  factors  in  de- 
velopment of,  312-322;  on  de- 
veloping frontier,  279;  growth  in 
a  century,  308-31 1 ;  in  Detroit  and 
State  compared,  308 

Maps,  boundary  proposals  of  Mont- 
real Merchants,  115;  Detroit, 
1796.  124;  Detroit  River  and 
part  of  Lake  Erie,  157;  early  map 
of  Great  Lakes  region,  48;  geo- 
logic formations  of  Great  Lakes 
region,  34;  population  map  of 
1820,  175;  receipts  and  shipments 
at  lake  ports,  228;  roads  and 
turnpikes  in  1820  between  Great 
Lakes  and  Atlantic,  257;  roads 
from  Detroit  in  1835,  261;  rail- 
roads and  stage  lines  in  Michigan 


350 


INDEX 


in  1849,  268;  railroads  in  Michi- 
gan in  1857,  267;  railroads  in 
1869,  269;  interurban  lines  cen- 
tering at  Detroit,   276 

Maiden,  Fort,  controlled  mouth  of 
river,  133 

Markets,  access  to,  319 

Marquette,  Father,  336  (Thwaites) 

Marquette  and  Joliet,  voyages  of, 
29  (n.  29) 

Martineau,  Harriet,  Society  in  Am- 
erica, 332 

Mathews,  Lois,  Expansion  of  New 
England,  332 

Maumee  River  basin.  History  of, 
335  (Slocum) 

Maumee    Valley,     History,     331 
(Knapp) 

Maxwell,  A  Run  through  North 
America,  etc.,  332 

May,  James,  describes  Detroit,  in 
1778,  99 

Merchants,  Montreal,  send  peti- 
tion to  retain  posts,  102 

Miami  Company,  early  settlement 
of,     328     (Ferris) 

Michigan,  a  Province,  Territory,  and 
State,  336  (Utley  and  Cutcheon) ; 
early  history  of,  335  (Sheldon); 
Gazetteer  of,  324  (Blowe) ;  general 
History  of,  336  (Tuttle) ;  Internal 
Improvements,  Report  of,  333; 
journal  of  a  trip  to,  335  (Swan); 
map  of,  325  (Colton);  outlines  of 
political  history  of,  325  (Camp- 
bell); the  State  of,  332  (Mc- 
Cracken) 

Michigan,  Lake,  improvements  on, 
23 

Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical 
Collections,  Hi 

Michigan  Stove  Company,  307 

Michigan  United  Railway,  278 

Michillimackinac  (Mackinaw),  cap- 


tured by  agents  of  Northwest 
Company,  136;  center  of  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company,  140;  mission- 
aries at,  203;  Northwest  Com- 
pany petitions  to  retain,  140; 
location  of,  140  (n.  53);  rendez- 
vous of  traders  and  missionaries, 
203;  settlers  at,  80 

Migrations  of  Indians  in  America, 
323  (Baldwin) 

Mill  at  Detroit,  54 

Mineral  resources  of  Detroit  region, 
166 

Mississippi  Valley,  geography  and 
history  of,  329  (Flint) 

Mitchell,  John,  Agriculture,  Popu- 
lation, Trade,  and  Manufactures 
of  Great  Britain  and  United  States, 

Mitchell,  John,  Detroit  in  History 
and  Commerce,  ?>2>2) 

Mitchell,  Samuel,  Principal  Stage, 
Steamboat,  and  Canal  Routes  in 
U.  S.,  333;  Compendium  of  Inter- 
nal Improvements  in  U.  S.,  333 

Mohawk  River,  Erie  Canal  in  Val- 
ley of,  245;  outlet  for  Detroit 
commerce,  243 

Moore,  Charles,  The  Northwest 
under  Three  Flags,  333 

Money,  lack  of,  188;  cut  money,  188 

Moraine,  altitude  of  at  Detroit, 
155;  Detroit  located  on,  155; 
moraines  in  Detroit  region,  151; 
more  important  ones  in  Great 
Lakes  region,  9;  origin  of,  155; 
serv'ed  to  locate  Fort  Pontchar- 
train,  156 

Morrison,  John,  History  of  Ameri- 
can Steam  Navigation,  333 

Mortgages,  against  settlers  (1740), 
73 

Navigation,  on  Huron  River,  160; 
on  Clinton,  160;  interior,  of  U.  S., 


INDEX 


351 


a  connected  view  of,  323  (Arm- 
royd);  of  Great  Lakes,  history  of, 
353  (Plumb) 

New  Buffalo,  railroad  to,  270 

New  England,  effect  of  economic 
changes  in,  on  emigration,  173; 
expansion  of,  332  (Mathews); 
Magazine,  332 

New  Englanders  in  northwest,  172, 
174 

New  France  in  1764,  80;  history  and 
general  description  of,  325  (Char- 
levoix) 

Newspapers,  Detroit,  list  of,  327; 
break  down  prejudices  against 
Michigan,  143 

New  York,  history  of  State  of,  324 
(Brodhead) ;  documentary  his- 
tory of,  327;  documents  relatitig  to 
colonial  history  of,  327 

New  World,  homes  in,  324  (Bre- 
mer) 

Niagara  limestone,  influence  on 
topographic  features,  7 

Niagara,  Dongan  asks  for  post  at, 
42 ;  French  build  post  at,  43 

Nicolet,  in  Great  Lakes  region,  29 

Niles,  Hezekiah,  Weekly  Register, 
333 

Nipissing,  Lake,  see  Portage 

Norman  and  Breton  fishermen  on 
Grand  Banks,  21,  25 

North  America,  326  (Dawson);  a 
history  of,  331  (Lee) ;  geologic  map 
of,  329;  travels  in,  329  (Hall); 
travels  through,  332  (Liancourt); 
voyages  to,  331  (Lahontan) 

North  American  Review,  333 

Northern  Railroad,  264 

Northwest,  description  and  conquest 
of,  334  (Blanchard) ;  history  of 
war  in,  330  (Hatch) ;  during  the 
Revolution,  336  (Walker);  under 
three  flags,  333  (Moore) ;  The  Old, 
330  (Hinsdale) 


Northwest  Territory,  early  settle- 
ment of,  324  (Burnet) 

Northwest  Fur  Company,  109;  aids 
British    in    War    of    1812,    138 
builds    vessel     on    Lakes,     110 
desires  to  retain  Mackinaw,  139 
trades    in    region    northwest    of 
Lake  Superior,  110;  treatment  of 
Indians,  111 

Northwest,  Greater,  new  light  on 
history  of,  330  (Henry  and 
(Thompson) 

"Oak  openings,"  first  settled,  165; 
origin  of  soils  of,  165 ;  soils  of,  165 ; 
vegetation  on,  165 

Ohio  Company,  77 

Ohio,  history  of,  natural  and  civil, 
323  (Atwater) 

Old  France  in  New  World,  328 
(Douglass) 

"Old  land"  of  Canada,  5 

Old  Mackinaw,  335  (Strickland) 

Ontario,  Lake,  at  crossing  of  French 
and  British  lines  of  advance,  43; 
improvements  on,  233;  Fort 
Frontenac  built  on,  see  Fort 
Frontenac;  influence  of  size,  43 

Orchards  at  Detroit,  78 

Ordovician  limestone  and  shale,  in- 
fluence on  topography,  6 

Ottawa  channel,  see  Portages 

Ottawa  River,  as  canoe  route,  6; 
Champlain  ascends,  29;  falls  and 
rapids  in,  6 

Ouiatanon,  settlement  at,  80 

Oysters,  first  received,  180 

Palmer,  Friend,  Early  Days  in  De- 
troit, 333 

"Paper  Towns,"  in  Michigan,  185 

Parks,  provisions  for,  201 

Passenger  traffic  at  lake  ports,  227- 
228 

Peck,  John,  A  New  Guide  for  Emi- 
grants, 333 

Peninsula  Stove  Company,  307 


352 


INDEX 


People,  character  of,  in  1764,  84 

Peripheral  location  of  Lakes  region, 
effects  of,  91 

Perry's  Fleet,  delayed  in  fitting  out, 
138 

Pharmaceutical  industry,  306-307 

Phelps  and  Squires,  Traveller's 
Guide  and  Emigrant's  Directory, 
333 

Plains,  geographic  influence  of,  1 

Plumb,  Ralph,  History  of  the  Naviga- 
tion of  Great  Lakes,  333 

Pontchartrain,  Fort,  dti  Detroit,  325 
(Burton);  described,  81 

Pontchartrain  reviews  situation  at 
Detroit,  59-60 

Pontiac  an*d  Grand  River  Road,  see 
Grand  River  Road 

Pontiac  area,  U.  S.  soil  survey,  334 

Pontiac,  attacks  Detroit,  88;  rea- 
sons for  hostility  of  to  British,  85 

Poor,  Henry,  Manual  of  Railroads 
of  U.  S.,  334 

Population,  by  decades,  170;  cos- 
mopolitan, 121,  131,  194;  dis- 
tribution of  in  Lakes  region  in 
1810,  132;  eflects  of  increase  in 
Michigan  on  Detroit,  174;  fac- 
tors in  growth,  312,322;  factors 
in  slow  growth,  1800-1810,  171; 
factors  in  rapid  growth  since 
1830,  171;  foreigners  appear  in, 
181;  foreign  in  1850,  188;  foreign 
in  1860,  194;  foreign  in  1880  and 
1910,  196;  growth  rapid,  1749- 
1755,  79;  at  Detroit  in  1707,  55; 
in  1736,  71;  in  1805,  131;  in  1810, 
131;  in  1850,  188;  increase  by 
decades,  170;  increase  of  from 
1830  to  1840,  177;  maps  showing 
distribution  of  in  1820,  133; 
nativity  of  in  1850,  1880,  1910, 
196;  growth  retarded  in  early 
period,  56 


Portages  of  Great  Lakes  region,  9; 
Colden's  remarks  regarding,  10 

Portier,  Account  book  of,  at  Huron 
Mission,  334 

Post,  importance  of  Detroit,  in 
1768,  92 

Posts,  western,  and  British  debts,  33i 
(MacLaughlin) 

Presents,  requisition  list  of,  to  In- 
dians, 116 

Printing  industry,  307 

Property,  value  of  increasing,  181 

Public  buildings  in  1837,  182,  183 

Public  lands,  A  merican  State  Papers, 
322 

Quebec,  founding  of,  25;  favorable 
elements  in  location  of,  26;  politi- 
cal center  of  New  France,  26; 
in  seventeenth  century,  328  (Doug- 
las) 

Quebec  Act,  retarded  settlement  of 
Detroit,  94 

Railroads,  centering  at  Detroit,  182; 
Detroit  and  St.  Joseph,  181; 
Detroit  and  Pontiac,  182,  262, 
265;  economic  effects  of,  273; 
extending  from  Detroit  in  1885; 
from  Detroit  to-day,  271;  growth 
of  in  Michigan,  272;  leading 
westward,  272;  map  of,  268,  269 

Railroads,  of  U.  S.,  328  (Flint); 
manual  of,  334  (Poor) 

Raisin  River,  government  improve- 
ments on,   160 

Receipts  and  shipments.  Diagram 
of,  at  lake  ports,  229,  230 

Retention  of  Lake  posts.  111; 
reasons  for,  103-104;  Montreal 
Merchants  petition  to  retain,  102, 
112;  boundary  proposals  regard- 
ing, 112 
Richardie,  mission  near  Detroit,  73; 
transactions  at  mission  store,  73- 
75  (n.  73-75) 


INDEX 


353 


Ringwalt,  John  Luther,  Transporta- 
tion Systems  of  V.  S.,  334 

Rival  cities,  Sandwich,  130;  Am- 
herstburg,  130;  Monroe,  190; 
Toledo,  191-193 

Rivers,  influence  of  on  shape  of 
Detroit,  197;  harbors  on  Ameri- 
can side  of  Lakes,  106;  of  Detroit 
region,  characteristics  of ,  158,  159 

Rivers  and  Harbors  Act,  248,  249 

Roads,  Detroit-Chicago  Road,  182, 

258,  259;  Detroit-Ft.  Gratiot, 
258;  Detroit-Saginaw  Road,  258; 
Grand  River  Road,  259;  eflfects 
on   economic   development,    256, 

259,  262;  Hull's  military  road 
built,  255;  maps  of,  257,  262;  not 
possible  to  build  in  early  periods, 
51,  81;  through  Black  Swamp, 
254,  256;  to  interior  of  Michigan, 
258 

Roberts,  R.  E.,  Sketches  and  Re- 
miniscences of  the  City  of  the 
Straits,  334;  Sketches  of  Detroit, 
334 

Rogers,  James,  The  Economic  In- 
terpretation of  History,  334 

Rogers,  Major  Robert,  arrives  at 
Detroit,  79;  describes  Detroit, 
80;  estimates  the  population,  79; 
A  Concise  Account  of  N.  A.,  334 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,  The  Winning 
of  the  West,  334 

Ross  and  Catlin,  Landmarks  of 
Wayne  County  and  Detroit,  334 

Rouge  River,  government  improve- 
ments on,  160;  drowned,  159; 
navigable  near  mouth,  106;  ship- 
yards on,  160;  used  as  harbor  by 
British,   160 

Routes,  principal  stage,  steamboat, 
and  canal,  in  U.  S.,  334  (Mit- 
chell) 

Royal  Proclamation  of  1763,  91 


Royalists  encouraged  to  emigrate  to 
Detroit,   107 

Rupp,  Israel  D.,  The  Geographical 
Catechism  of  Pennsylvania  and 
the  Western  States,  334 

St.  Clair,  Patrick,  secures  land 
grant,  123 

St.  Joseph,  building  of  Fort,  49; 
controls  commerce  of  Upper 
Lakes,  41 

St.  Joseph  Railroad  Company  in- 
corporated, 262 

St.  Lawrence,  Andrews  quoted  on 
commerce  on,  242;  Canals  along, 
239;  Dwight,  quoted  on  com- 
merce on,  241;  Falls  and  rapids 
on,  6;  Hall  describes  voyage  on, 
240;  improvements  on,  233;  Lian- 
court  describes  traffic,  241;  navi- 
gation on,  234;  outlet  for  De- 
troit, 239,  243 

St.  Louis  founded,  1764,  93;  drew 
settlers  from  Detroit,  93 

St.  Mary's  Falls,  canals  around,  249- 
255;  settlers  at,  80 

Salt  deposits  in  Detroit  region,  168; 
industries  depending  on,  169 

Sandstone,  see  Bed  Rock 

Sandwich,  and  Amherstburg,  com- 
pete with  Detroit,  130 

Schools,  established  at  Detroit,  147 ; 
first  public,  183;  private,  183 

Schoolcraft,  Henry  R.,  American 
Indians,  etc.,  335;  Narrative 
Journal,  etc.,  334 

Scott's  Gazetteer  describes  Detroit  in 
1797,  125 

Screw  propeller,  first  on  lakes,  220 

Seeds  taken  to  Detroit,  54 

Shore  features  in  southeastern 
Michigan,  151;  first  described 
(n.  154);  origin  of,  154 

Settlement,  Detroit,  a  premature, 
55;  size  of,  72,  81 


354 


INDEX 


Settlers,  accused  of  being  lazy 
(1730),  70;  advances  to,  in  1748, 
77 

Sewage  system,  183 

Simcoe  induces  settlers  to  leave 
Detroit,   128 

Sheldon,  Electra  M.,  Early  History 
of  Michigan,  etc.,  335 

Sherzer,  William  H.,  Geologic  Re- 
port of  Monroe  County,  335; 
Geology  of  Wayne  County,  335 

Ship  Canals,  economic  effect  of, 
328  (Fairlie) 

Shipbuilding,  history  of,  222-223, 
280-281 

Shipments  and  receipts,  see  Re- 
ceipts and  shipments 

Shipping,  American  Blue  Book  of, 
324;  at  various  lake  ports,  224; 
owned  at  Detroit,  182,  224,  235 

Slaughtering  and  meatpacking,  306 

Slocum,  Charles,  History  of  Maumee 
River  Basin,  335 

Society,  democratic  at  Detroit,  147; 
in  America,  332  {Martineau) 

Soils,  methods  of  judging,  by  early 
settlers,  165;  of  Black  Swamp, 
162;  of  clay  knolls  and  ridges, 
163-164;  of  Detroit  region,  160, 
161;  sands  and  gravels,  164;  of 
kames  and  eskers,  164;  of  till  and 
lacustrine  plains,  162;  of  valley 
bottoms,  165 

Soil  and  Climate  of  U.  S.,  a  view  of, 
336  (Volney) 

"Sole  market"  idea,  influence  of  in 
America,  23 

Southern  Railroad,  264,  271 

Sparks,  Jared,  The  Writings  of 
George  Washington,  335 

Squires,  sec  Phelps  and  Squires 

Stage  coach  lines,  25,  260;  map  of, 
in  1849,  268 

Statistical  Atlas  of  U.  S.,  335 


Steamboat,  ^r5/ or;  Western  Waters, 
331  (Latrobe) 

Steamboats,  improvements,  220; 
lines  of,  225,  226;  on  Lake  Erie, 
173;  Chippewa,  218;  Henry  Clay, 
218;  Superior,  218 

Steam  navigation,  history  of  Ameri- 
can, iii  (Morrison);  beginnings 
of,  131 

Steam  shipping,  growth  of,  218; 
growth  in  tonnage  of,  219;  de- 
cline in  numbers  of  vessels,  219 

Steele,  Oliver  G.,  Western  Guide 
Book,  etc.,  335 

Stoney  island,  quarry  worked  on, 
83,  168 

Stoves  and  ranges,  307 

Strickland,  William  Peter,  Old 
Mackinaw,  335 

Structure  of  city,  changes  in,  199 

Suburbs,  location  of,  198 

Superior,  Lake,  growing  trade  on, 
250;  improvements  on,  233; 
visited  in  1629,  203 

Supply  trains,  to  Detroit,  cut  off, 
136 

Swamps,  in  Detroit  region,  156, 
deterred  settlement,  158 

Swan,  Lansing  B.,  Journal  of  a  Trip 
to  Michigan,  335 

Tanner,  Henry  S.,  The  American 
Traveller,  435 

Tanner,  John,  A  Narrative  of  Cap- 
tivity, etc.,  335 

Tanning  industry,  287,  288 

Thomas,  David,  Travels  through 
Western  Country,  etc.,  336 

Thwaites,  Reuben  G.,  various 
works,  336 

Tidal  waters  of  Hudson  River,  see 
Hudson  River 

Till  plain,  elevation  of,  152;  extent 
of,  151;  location  of,  Detroit  on, 
151;  origin  of,   153;  width  oi  fn 


INDEX 


355 


eastern  Michigan,  152 

Titles,  of  land  in  Detroit  region, 
classes  of,  129 

Tobacco,  grown  in  Detroit  region, 
180;  industry,  297 

Toledo  area,  soil  survey,  336 

Treaty  at  Detroit,  see  Detroit 

Tour,  An  American,  sketches  of,  330 
(Hardy);  Evans'  Pedestrious,  328; 
from  city  of  New  York  to  Detroit, 
326  (Darby) ;  of  Lakes,  sketch  of, 
332  (McKenney);  of  New  Eng- 
land and  New  York,  328  (Dwight) ; 
remarks  during,  through  U.  S., 
330  (Harris) 

Tourist,  Western,  325  (Colton) 

Trade  of  Montreal,  threatened  by 
Iroquois,  14 

Traders,  Dongan  sends,  to  Upper 
Lakes,  48 ;  first  English,  to  Upper 
Lakes,  30;  required  to  buy 
licenses,  66,  68 

Trading  posts  of  American  Fur 
Company,  141 

Trails,  Indian,  from  Detroit,  82, 
253;  map  of,  257 

Trans-lake  routes,  on  Lake  Erie,  7 

Transactions,  typical  at  Richardie's 
mission  store,  73  (n.  73-74) 

Transportation,  importance  of 
break  in,  316;  facilities  of  De- 
troit, 181,  200,  247;  development 
of,  in  U.  S.,  334  (Ringwalt) 

Travels,  in  America,  etc.,  323 
(Ashe) ;  in  the  States  and  Canada, 
337  (Weld);  narrative  journal  of, 
334  (Schoolcraft) 

Traveller's  Guide,  326  (Davidson) ; 
and  Emigrant  Directory,  333 
(Phelps  and  Squires);  The  Amer- 
ican Traveller,  335  (Tanner) ;  The 
Western  Traveller,  327  (Distur- 
nell) 

Treaties,  Chicago  (1821),  171;  De- 
troit    (1807),     171;     Greenville 


(1795),  171;  provisions  of  treaty 
of  1783,  101 

Trent  River  route,  see  Portages 

Tonnage,  see  Shipping 

Tonty  takes  charge,  68 

Topography,  influence  of  bed  rock 
on,  5-8;  influence  of  glaciation  on, 
8-10;  local,  of  Detroit  region, 
151-159 

Toronto  Channel,  see  Portages 

Towns  at  mouths  of  rivers  owe  early 
start  to  fur  trade,  141 

Troops,  withdrawal  from  Detroit, 
61 

Tunnel,  under  Detroit  River,  275 

Turnpikes,  map  of,  257 

Upper  Lakes  of  North  America, 
Guide  to,  327  (Disturnell) 

Vaudreuil,  approves  settlement  at 
Detroit,  58 

Vessels,  steel,  specialization  in  type 
of,  221 

Vessels,  sailing,  British  build,  212; 
built  in  Detroit,  213;  first  Ameri- 
can on  Lakes,  215;  French  build, 
211; on  Lakes  in  1870, 1880,  1890, 
1900,  216;  private,  excluded  from 
Lakes,  213 

Village,  Cadillac's,  325  (Burton) 

Vincennes,  settlers  at,  80 
Voyages,  325  (Butterick) 

Wabash,  the,  or  adventures  of  an 
English  gentleman's  family  in  in- 
terior America,  324  (Beste);  por- 
tage, settlement  at,  80;  Trade 
route,  324  (Benton);  Valley,  re- 
collection of  early  settlement  of, 
326  (Cox) 

Walk-in-the- Water,  first  trip,  172; 
described,  216,  217;  Darby  de- 
scribes, 231;  movements  of  dis- 
cussed, 218;  reduces  time  of 
travel,  172;  trip  to  Mackinaw, 
173 

Washtenaw  County,  history  of,  337 


366 


INDEX 


Water  supply,  from  Detroit  river, 
179,  201,  influence  of  mantle 
rock  on,  179 

Water  system,  installed,  179;  in 
1837,  183 

Water  table  in  Detroit  region,  161, 
162 

Waterways,  aid  in  defense  of  De- 
troit, 89;  Dawson  quoted  on,  11; 
influence  of,  10;  use  of  at  De- 
troit, 82 

Wayne  defeats  Indians,  119;  Fort 
Wayne  portage,  see  Portage 

Wayne  County,  geology  of,  335 
(Sherzer);  population  of,  181 

Weld,  Isaac,  describes  Detroit  in 
1795,  126;  describes  rivers  of  De- 
troit region,  159 

Welland  Canal,  236-239 

West,  The,  its  commerce  and  naviga- 
tion, 329  (Hall);  The  Great,  326 
(Dana);  The  Great,  its  geography, 
history,  and  resources,  328  (Fer- 
ris); letters  from,  329  (Hall);  The 
Winning  of,  334  (Roosevelt) 

Western  Country,  notes  upon,  330 


(Hoskins);    travels    through,    336 

(Thomas) 
Western  Guide  Book  and  Emigrants 

Directory,  335  (Steele) 
Western  sea,  search  for  along  St. 

Lawrence  and  by  way  of  GrCv^t 

Lakes,  22;  search  for,  325  (Bur- 
pee) 
Western  History,  romance  of,   329 

(Hall) 
Western     States,     notes     on,     329 

(Hall) 
Western  Travel,  retrospect  of,  332 

(Martineau) 
Wheat,     sown     by     Cadillac,     52; 

grown  at  Detroit,  71 
White  fish  shipped,  180 
"Wild  cat"  banks,  organized,  185, 

186 
''Wild  Rice  Gatherers,"  331  (Jenks) 
Wind  mills  at  Detroit,  84 
Wisconsin  Geologic  Survey,  report, 

337 
Wisconsin  State  Historical  Society, 

collections,  337 


:>». 


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